As the threat of human beings catching the bird flu virus looms, the State and Central governments are taking steps to contain its spread.

The presence of the virus has been confirmed in ducks in the Kottayam, Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha districts of the Kuttanad region.

Central aid The Centre will soon send an expert team to the State to study the bird flu outbreak and its impact and also ship medicines. The Centre has asked the State to be on high alert in view of the risk of humans getting infected from affected ducks. It has offered to pay compensation to duck farmers in the Kuttanad region after the State government gave a report.

The State Animal Husbandry Department has sounded a red alert in the three districts. The neighbouring districts, mainly Ernakulam, have imposed restrictions on the transport of ducks and chicken.

Adding to the panic, bird flu has been suspected among chicken at a few places. Kerala is one of the largest consumers of poultry in the country.

The low-lying Kuttanad region, said to be the largest duck producing region in the country, has thousands of duck farmers and entire families rely on duck farming for livelihood.

Following a report that the government was planning to ask the farmers to go for mass killing of ducks, groups of duck farmers blocked roads at a few places in Kuttanad. However, the government is yet to give an advisory on this, but the Indian Medical Association has called for a mass kill of affected ducks to prevent the transmission of the H5N1 virus to other birds and humans.

The virus is transmitted by the affected birds through their saliva, faeces and nasal secretions.

Since the Kuttanad region is visited by large flocks of migratory birds, even from Siberia, there is also the threat of the avian flu spreading to other parts of the world.

Sanctuary shut down The Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary in Kottayam district was shut down on Tuesday following the detection of bird flu among two species of birds in the sanctuary.

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