Telangana urges people not to panic over bird flu

Hyderabad, Jan 12 : Telangana Health Minister E. Rajender on Tuesday appealed to people not to panic over bird flu reported in some states, saying there were so far no cases of its transmission to humans.
Stating that Telangana has not reported any case of bird flu, the minister said rumours about the disease were causing heavy losses to the poultry industry.
He, along with Animal Husbandry Minister T. Srinivas Yadav and Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, held a meeting with officials to review the situation in view of the bird flu cases in some states and to discuss the preventive measures taken in the state.
Srinivas Yadav said Telangana was the first state in the country to sound an alert, especially in districts bordering other states.
Stating that there are no chances of a spread of bird flu in Telangana, he said all preventive steps were taken. He called for clearing misconception that eating chicken or eggs will cause bird flu.
The minister said fear being spread through rumours affected the poultry industry which was on path of recovery following the Covid-19 pandemic. He appealed to people not to pay heed to rumours.