Hundreds of crows found dead in Chennai amid H5N1 outbreak across city, govt issues advisory
Chennai has confirmed an H5N1 bird flu outbreak after hundreds of crows were discovered dead which triggered urgent containment measures. The Union Ministry and state authorities have intensified surveillance, issued strict advisories and mandated safe disposal of bird carcasses.
An outbreak of the H5N1 virus has been confirmed in Tamil Nadu's Chennai after several hundred crows were found dead across the city recently, signalling the spread of avian influenza in the region. An advisory has been issued to the public as health authorities move promptly to contain the outbreak. Authorities have directed that all carcasses of crows and poultry be either incinerated or deeply buried in accordance with biosecurity protocols to curb further transmission. The public has been strictly advised against touching or handling dead birds and urged to promptly alert local authorities about any fresh sightings.
Union Ministry issues urgent instructions
In the wake of confirmation of bird flue in samples collected from the city's Adyar, the Union Ministry of Animal Husbandry has written to the Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary and called for immediate and comprehensive field surveillance to contain the outbreak. The Union ministry has urged the state to report unusual mortality, intensify poultry surveillance and alert forest and wildlife departments. The ministry said the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) raises serious concerns and has sought reports on cases, deaths, killed and disposed birds. Key instructions ban bare-handed contact with dead birds; handlers must wear gloves and wash thoroughly with soap and water. Veterinary staff should not perform field postmortems; instead, they must send carcasses to designated regional disease diagnostic laboratories.
Strict disposal and surveillance measures
Officials emphasised safe disposal of either burning or burying dead crows and poultry at least 8-10 feet deep to prevent scavenging animals from spreading the virus. Forest department teams must conduct extensive checks in wooded areas for wild bird deaths. Following confirmation of the spread of H5N1 avian influenza, the state's directorate of public health and preventive medicine issued a public health advisory on Thursday.
What is H5N1?
H5N1 is a highly pathogenic strain of the influenza A virus that primarily infects birds, particularly poultry and wild birds. It is commonly known as 'bird flu' and can spread rapidly among bird populations, often causing severe illness and high mortality rates. Although H5N1 mainly affects birds, it can occasionally infect humans -- though rare -- and other animals through close contact with infected birds or contaminated environments. Human infections are rare but can be serious, which is why outbreaks are closely monitored and strict biosecurity measures are enforced to prevent its spread.
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