Don't panic, eat poultry product cooked at high temp: Delhi govt advisory amid bird flu scare
New Delhi: The Delhi Health Department on Wednesday issued an advisory in view of bird flu cases in the city, asking people not to panic and follow a set of dos and don'ts, including not consuming half-cooked chicken, half-boiled or half-fried eggs.
Several ducks at Sanjay Lake and a large number of crows across various city parks have been found dead in the last one week.
The revenue department has deployed teams of volunteers at the city's borders to prevent unauthorized entry of livestock and canned and processed chicken from outside.
The advisory issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) of Delhi on Wednesday stated, "H5N8 is highly pathogenic in birds but the pathogenicity in humans, as well as the likelihood of human infection with avian influenza (AH5N8) virus, is low."
The health department, while issuing the dos and don'ts, asked people to observe precaution and not panic.
"Avoid contact and prevent exposure from sick-looking sluggish chicken. Avoid direct contact with bird secretions and droppings," the advisory states, adding that bowls used for feeding birds, and their cages should be washed properly with soap or detergent.
All slaughter waste must be disposed of properly, the DGHS authorities said.
The advisory also cautioned people to not touch dead birds with naked hands. If any bird is found dead, control room should be informed at phone number 23890318.
"Eat only completely cooked eggs and poultry products cooked at 70 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes. Do not consume half-cooked chicken or bird or half-boiled and half-fried eggs," the advisory said.
Do not keep raw poultry meat near cooked meat. Wash hands frequently at the time of handling raw poultry products. Take due care of personal hygiene and maintain cleanliness in surroundings, it cautioned.
Reports of over 50 bird deaths were received on a helpline of the Delhi government's animal husbandry unit, and 18 samples from different parts of the city were sent for avian flu testing on Tuesday, officials had said.
Testing of samples of crows and ducks had confirmed bird flu cases in the national capital on Monday, prompting the city government to impose a ban on the sale of processed and packaged chicken brought from outside the city.
The Ghazipur poultry market has also closed by authorities.
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Kalaburagi bench of Karnataka High Court upholds rejection of Lok Sabha nomination papers
Kalaburagi: It has been reported that the Kalaburagi bench of the Karnataka High Court convened an emergency session late into the night to address a crucial petition regarding the Lok Sabha election candidate's nomination papers. The court upheld the decision of the Election Commission to reject the nomination papers.
The petitioner, A. Rabindra, had submitted his candidacy for the Kalaburagi Lok Sabha constituency as an independent candidate. However, his nomination faced rejection on Sunday, April 21st. In response, Rabindra opted to approach the High Court. Given the urgency of the matter and the court's holiday on Sunday, Rabindra submitted an affidavit requesting an expedited hearing on Monday, April 22nd.
The High Court deliberated on the case at 4 pm on Tuesday, April 23rd, and initially ordered the Election Commission to accept Rabindra's nomination papers. However, the Election Commission challenged this decision and appealed to a two-judge bench of the Kalaburagi bench of the Karnataka High Court.
Subsequently, the court reconvened for a hearing at approximately 10:30 pm on Tuesday, ultimately upholding the original decision to reject Rabindra's nomination.
