41 Cases Of Bird Flu In 10 States In 2025: Centre
India has experienced 41 outbreaks of bird flu, mainly in 10 states in 2025, said the Union government, indicating the continued rise in avian activity in the country.
In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Prof. S.P. Singh Baghel, confirmed infections caused by the bird flu virus in non-avian species like tiger, lion, leopard, and domestic cats.
This indicates a broader host range than typically expected and increases the risk of spillover events to humans.
However, compared to the last five years, 2025 has recorded fewer outbreaks from the H9N1 virus.
"Till July 24, 41 cases have been recorded this year, compared to 49 in 2024. The highest number of cases in the last five years was in 2021, with 118 reported incidents," Mr Baghel said.
"The lowest was in 2023, with 15 reported incidents," he added.
The Minister revealed that bird flu outbreaks in domestic poultry have been reported from Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Odisha.
To address the growing threat, Mr Baghel noted that the government has undertaken multiple initiatives aimed at prevention, surveillance, and rapid response.
The government formulated the National Action Plan for Prevention, Control, and Containment of Avian Influenza (Revised 2021) to provide comprehensive guidelines for preparedness, identification, and notification of affected areas, culling operations, and implementation of biosecurity measures, among others.
Advisories have been issued to all States/UTs to enhance preparedness ahead of the winter migratory bird season, including strengthening surveillance in high-risk areas in coordination with wildlife and health authorities.
A Poultry Disease Action Plan, 2024, has also been developed to build a resilient and disease-free poultry sector.
Further, the States/UTs are financially supported on a sharing basis for compensating affected poultry owners for the culling of birds.
Financial support is also provided for the establishment and strengthening of laboratories, research and innovation, capacity building, and training/awareness on topics like good animal husbandry practices, biosecurity/sanitary measures, timely reporting of unusual mortality events, etc.
A National Joint Outbreak Response Team (NJORT) comprising representatives from the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying, National Centre for Disease Control, Indian Council of Medical Research, and Indian Council of Agriculture Research has been constituted to investigate outbreaks and coordinate field investigations and support for control and containment operations.
The use of Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H9N2) vaccine has also been permitted using an indigenous seed strain, adding a tool to support disease prevention in the country, the Minister said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
14 hours ago
- The Hindu
Closure of Jan Aushadi Kendras: Karnataka's Health Minister justifies move, says it is to ensure free medicines
Justifying Karnataka's move to close Jan Aushadi Kendras on the premises of government-run hospitals, Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao wrote to Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda on Tuesday stating that the move was intended to ensure free and assured supply of essential medicines to patients. Responding to the Union Health Minister's letter to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on the issue, Mr. Rao has said the intention to close the kendras only on the premises of government hospitals is to reduce the out-of-pocket expenditure for patients. 'The decision was taken to prevent doctors from directing patients to purchase medicines from these commercial outlets, thereby ensuring they are not denied free medicines available at the hospitals,' he said in the letter. Karnataka ranks among the top States in terms of the number of operational Jan Aushadi Kendras, with over 1,417 currently functioning. Of these, only 184 are located on the premises of government hospitals under the Department of Health and Family Welfare, while the rest operate independently outside government hospital campuses. Free supply Stating that the Karnataka government is committed to the free supply of all essential medicines, as listed in the Essential Medicines List (EML), across public healthcare institutions, Mr. Rao's letter said: 'To streamline public healthcare delivery and eliminate the risk of patients being denied medicines at government facilities, the State government has directed that prescriptions by government doctors be limited to medicines available within the hospital supply.' 'Medicines are regularly provided to government hospitals through Karnataka State Medical Supplies Corporation Limited (KSMSCL). Hospitals have also been allocated sufficient funds and have standing instructions to purchase medicines locally in case of any shortage. This effort is aimed at ensuring universal access to essential medicines for patients visiting government hospitals — entirely free of cost,' Mr. Rao said in the letter. Asserting that the decision does not restrict the operation of Jan Aushadhi Kendras outside government hospital premises, Mr. Rao said citizens are free to access them as per their choice. 'This move is primarily aimed at benefiting poor and marginalised patients who rely heavily on government hospitals for healthcare,' the Minister said in the letter. Subsidised rate Highlighting the affordability of medicines sold under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP), Mr. Rao noted that the scheme offers medicines at prices 50% to 80% lower than branded alternatives. PMBJP is implemented by the Pharma and Medical Bureau of India (PMBI), a society registered under the Societies Registration Act. Mr. Rao urged Mr. Nadda to direct PMBI to supply medicines to Karnataka's Health Department at the same rates offered to Jan Aushadi Kendras. 'This will go a long way in supporting the State's free drug supply initiative,' he added.
Indian Express
14 hours ago
- Indian Express
Abortion law faces heat in HC over mental health clause
The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday issued notice to the Union government on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by a 57-year-old Hisar resident challenging the legal provision that allows abortions based on presumed mental health injury without requiring evaluation by a psychiatrist. Deepak Kumar, the petitioner, has sought a declaration that a key clause under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, 1971, particularly Section 3(2) and Explanation 1, is unconstitutional. He argues that the provision violates Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution by allowing gynaecologists to terminate pregnancies on mental health grounds, even though they are not qualified to assess psychological conditions. He has also asked the court to rule that abortions should only be allowed when the life of the woman or the fetus is in immediate danger, not in cases of failed contraception or presumed mental anguish. The PIL, filed through advocates Dr Pankaj Nanhera, Sanchar Anand, Nitin Verma, and Yogesh Vashista, came up for hearing before the division bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sanjiv Berry, which issued notice to the Union government and fixed the next hearing for September 16. Section 3(2) of the MTP Act allows a registered medical practitioner to terminate a pregnancy if it risks the woman's life or may cause 'grave injury' to her physical or mental health. For pregnancies up to 20 weeks, the opinion of one doctor is sufficient; between 20 and 24 weeks, two doctors must concur for certain categories of women. Explanation 1 to this section presumes that if a pregnancy results from the failure of contraceptive methods, the resulting mental anguish is automatically considered a grave mental health injury, making abortion legally permissible. The PIL argues that: • Gynaecologists are not trained to assess mental health and should not be given the power to presume psychological harm. • Only psychiatrists can evaluate whether a woman is experiencing mental anguish severe enough to justify an abortion. • The automatic presumption that contraceptive failure causes grave mental injury is arbitrary and may lead to misuse of the law. • The law lacks clear definitions of what qualifies as 'grave injury' to mental health, giving doctors unchecked discretion. The petitioner contends that these provisions enable abortions in situations that fall outside the core intent of the MTP Act, and that such broad presumptions may undermine fetal rights and open doors to female feticide. Among other reliefs, Deepak Kumar has requested the court to: • Declare Section 3(2) and its Explanation 1 unconstitutional. • Clarify that 'grave injury' to mental health should not include distress caused by unintended pregnancies due to failed contraception. • Limit the scope of legal abortions to life-threatening situations for the woman or fetus. The court has admitted the petition and listed it for further hearing on September 16.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
17 hours ago
- Business Standard
Over 4K mobile veterinary unit running in India, no expansion planned: Govt
The government on Wednesday said as many as 4,019 Mobile Veterinary Units (MVUs) have been made operational in 29 states and union territories since their launch in 2021-22. "Presently, there is no plan at present to expand the MVU programme beyond the existing states and union territories," Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying S P Singh Baghel, in his written reply to the Rajya Sabha. The mobile veterinary units are operational in 29 states and union territories. "So far, 91.56 lakh farmers have benefited and 1.90 crore animals have been treated with the help of MVUs," he said. The scheme, which was launched during 2021-22, became fully functional by FY 2023-24 and hence no mid-term review could be done for MVUs, he added. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
