Bird flu kills 4,400 chickens in Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur; surveillance intensified

Bird flu outbreak in Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur kills 4,400 chickens, prompting increased surveillance and culling measures.

At least 4,400 chickens have died following a bird flu (avian influenza) outbreak at a State-run poultry farm in Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur district, prompting authorities to intensify surveillance within a 10-kilometre radius, officials said.

Veterinary Department's joint director Dr. G.S. Tanwar on Tuesday (March 24, 2026) said around 4,400 chickens died due to the viral infection at the government poultry farm in the Koni area between March 19 and 24.

A total of 5,037 chickens were housed at the facility, he said.

Samples from the dead birds were sent on Monday (March 23, 2026) to laboratories in Bhopal and Pune. The Bhopal lab has confirmed the presence of avian influenza in dead chickens, Tanwar informed.

Following the confirmation, District Collector Sanjay Agrawal issued immediate directives for containment and prevention under the Revised Action Plan for Prevention and Containment of Avian Influenza (2021), an official statement said.

A one-kilometre radius of the farm has been declared as 'infected zone' and a 10 km radius as 'surveillance zone', it said.