Bird flu outbreak in Navapur: More samples likely to test positive, containment measures intensify, focus on backyard poultry

The district collector said this batch of culling will be finished by Wednesday.

3 min readPuneMay 5, 2026 10:30 PM IST

The samples tested positive for bird flu and culling operations commenced on May 1. (File Photo)

Nandurbar district collector Mittali Sethi on Tuesday said that more samples are likely to test positive following the outbreak of H5N1 (avian influenza), commonly known as bird flu. In a span of five days, close to two lakh chickens have been culled in Navapur in Nandurbar district. Authorities have also destroyed over eight lakh eggs and 21.22 metric tonnes of poultry feed as part of containment measures.

The district collector said this batch of culling will be finished by Wednesday. “We are waiting for the sample results. There is a probability of more coming positive. We will redraw boundaries as soon as the reports are in,” she said, adding steps are being taken to compensate owners as early as possible.

As a precautionary measure, samples have been collected and sent from other farms within a 3-km radius of the farm where bird flu was detected. To prevent the disease from spreading, authorities had directed culling chickens within a 1-km radius of the infected farm. This is in addition to declaring a 3-km containment zone.

Earlier, eight samples from four farms were sent to ICAR-National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases at Bhopal after unusual mortality of birds was observed. This is Indian Council of Agricultural Research’s premier BSL3/BSL4 containment facility to study high-risk emerging animal pathogens.

The samples tested positive for bird flu and culling operations commenced on May 1. The district collector said that strict biosecurity protocols are being enforced to prevent other outbreaks.

According to Dr Sanjay Kachane, District Deputy Commissioner, Animal Husbandry and Dairy, Nandurbar, the Maharashtra Animal Husbandry Department is working with other authorities to oversee culling operations and keep the situation under control.

“While the latest report is awaited, so far a total of 1,93,667 birds have been culled apart from destroying 8,07,922 eggs,” Dr Kachane said. These birds have been culled in the last five days, he added.

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While Navapur has approximately 11 lakh poultry birds, animal husbandry officials are also checking the backyard poultry where birds are usually raised at a household setting. “So instead of large commercial farms, families tend to keep a limited number of birds in their yards. We are also planning to keep a check on these,” Dr Kachane said.

This is the third outbreak of avian influenza at Navapur with the first one in 2006 followed by the second one in 2021. According to officials, there are 25 rapid response teams and each has a veterinary officer, a livestock supervisor, and attendants. They are being administered Tamiflu pills as a preventive measure apart from being provided protective equipment.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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