Guidelines for prevention and control of spread of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in poultry

1. There should be strict regulation of entry of personnel, material visitors, vehicles etc. and entry should be allowed only after following proper disinfection procedure. All material including the vehicle should be disinfected thoroughly at the entry point of the farm by providing appropriate disinfection facilities including deep spray etc. All personnel should wear protective clothing, gumboots and mask if necessary and enter into the farm after observing proper disinfection procedures.
2. Measures to control rodents and insects in the entire premises with the cleaning of vegetation around the farm should be resorted to.
3. All waste products including the dead poultry, spoils eggs and other waste material from the poultry pan should be disposed off through incineration or deep burial with disinfection (any detergent along with other standard disinfectant). Measures to dispose of the droppings of the poultry should be undertaken by deep burial or incineration.    

4. There should not be exchange of any material and personnel between the different pens. If unavoidable, complete disinfection procedure of material and hygienic precaution by the personnel should be adopted strictly before and after the exchange operations.
5. Any suspected case detected by the vigilance team should be reported to the farm authority and to the state veterinary department immediately. The suspected flock should be quarantined in-situ by imposing all the disinfection procedure and stopping any exchange of material from that locality to other parts of the farm and outside of the farm. Follow up action may be taken as per the advice of the department of Animal Husbandry.
6. In the event of detection of infection in the flock of the suspected disease the entire operation of the farm in terms of marketing of produce, birds, eggs etc. should be stopped completely till the disease passes off. This regulatory mechanism will be in force till one month of the last case detected in the said farm.
7. All such poultry farms, breeders and farmers should stop immediately entry of new birds in the flock from outside sources and from sources of unknown diseases status. Before allowing entry of new stock it should be ensured that similar type of disease has not occurred in the supply farm for at least 3 months period.
8. The farm which has encountered this disease and no clinical cases have been detected should not move the birds out of the farm before expiry of thirty days period with verification of the fact by the state government veterinary officer.
9. The state government should draw up a plan to monitor and regulate the movement of birds and other produce from this poultry farm located in the infected belt so as to minimize the risk of spread of the infection to the other parts of the country.
10. The cullers should use goggles, impervious aprons, gloves, gumboots and face masks.
11. State Government should organize awareness camps related with various poultry diseases.
12. Field veterinarians are required to know the differentiating characters of HPAI from other diseases viz. RD, Fowl Cholera etc.

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