Rourkela : A high alert has been sounded here after bird flu was reported at Keranga village in Khurda district of Odisha. “Following reports about H5N1 avian flu influenza, we are on high alert and are keeping a close watch on the development round the clock,” Sundargarh Collector B S Punia said, reports PTI.
“A team of experts will arrive from Bhubaneswar to take stock of the situation,” he said. A task force meeting comprising officials from the administration, health department, Rourkela Municipal Corporation and Rourkela Steel Plant was held to take stock of the situation, officials said. As a precautionary measure, the administration has shut down Indira Gandhi Park, a major tourist destination in the city, for an indefinite period. The decision was taken in view of the report about the presence of H5N1 virus received from National Institute of High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (NIHSAD) in Bhopal, Punia.
Sub-Divisional Medical Officer Pushpa Mishra advised people to use masks and report about any death of birds and also anyone feeling uneasy.
