Kochi/Alappuzha/Kottayam: Bird flu has been reported in parts of Alappuzha and Kottayam districts of Kerala.
District authorities have ordered culling of hens, ducks and other domestic birds in affected areas.
The National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal confirmed the bird flu outbreak following tests.
Thakazhy, Nedumudi, Karuvatta and Pallippad panchayats in the Kuttanad region of Alappuzha district reported the flu.
Nearly 1,700 ducks at a duck farm in Neendoor panchayat of Kottayam have died due to the infection.
Nearly 40,000 birds, including 34,000 in Kuttanad alone, will be killed to check the spread of H5N8 virus.
Authorities have sounded a high alert as the virus has the potential to infect humans.
Alappuzha authorities have placed a ban on the trading of meat, eggs and waste of domestic birds in Karthikappalli and Kuttanad taluks.
Bird flu occurs in wild waterfowl and can spread to poultry.
Kerala last reported a major case of bird flu in 2016.
Image courtesy: Bernd Focken from Pixabay