India reported bird flu outbreaks on farms in Kerala state, WOAH says

PARIS, Jan 5 (Reuters) – India reported 11 outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu on farms in the southern state of Kerala last month, the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) said on Monday.

The spread of bird flu, commonly referred to as bird flu, has raised concerns among governments and the poultry industry in recent years after it devastated flocks around the world, disrupting supplies, causing food prices to rise and increasing the risk of transmission to humans.

The ‌H5N1 virus caused the death of a total of 54,100 birds, mostly ducks, Paris-based WOAH said, citing a report by Indian officials. Later, 30,289 more birds were culled as a precaution.

The report stated that the outbreaks were detected starting on December 9 and confirmed on December 22. These were the first reported among poultry since May, the report said.

(Reporting by Sybille de La Hamaide, editing by Gus Trompiz)