Bird flu reaches Hyderabad, thousands of chickens die in Abdullahpurmet

Hyderabad: Weeks after bird flu reached Telangana’s Bhuvanagiri Yadadri district, an outbreak of bird flu (avian influenza) has been reported at a poultry farm in Abdullahpurmet mandal, Ranga Reddy district.

According to reports, thousands of chickens have died over the past four days in the mandal. Following reports, the officials from the health department reached the poultry farm and collected blood samples from the affected birds and confirmed that bird flu was the cause of death.

In an effort to contain the spread of avian influenza further, the authorities have issued strict orders to poultry farm owners. The poultry farm owners have been instructed against selling eggs to the people.

The locals have also been warned that the virus can spread to humans if they come into contact with infected chickens or poultry waste. Officials are on high alert and monitoring the situation closely to prevent further spread of the disease.

Amid the bird flu scare in Telugu states, Hong Kong has suspended the import of poultry eggs from the affected regions. The announcement was made by the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department in Hong Kong.

Prior to this, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) had issued a notification pertaining to the outbreaks in the Yadadri Bhuvanagiri District of Telangana, as well as the West Godavari, East Godavari, and Krishna Districts of Andhra Pradesh.

In February 2025, the first confirmed case of bird flu was reported from Telangana’s Nelapatla village, Choutuppal mandal, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district.

Earlier, the officials from the Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Department reported that 20,000 chickens died in the state in February. They clarified that the majority of these deaths were due to a lack of feed in poultry farms. They further stated that only 1,500 chickens had died due to bird flu.