Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala has banned entry of poultry from other states following detection of avian influenza (bird flu) in a central government farm at Hesserghatt in southern Karnataka.

Following an intimation in this regard from the Karnataka Government, the state Animal Husbandry Department has banned movement of poultry from both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu since last evening, official sources said today. Avian influenza was detected in turkey and chicken reared in a farm of the Central Poultry Development Organization in Karnataka, where the H5N1 virus had claimed over 3,600 turkeys over the last fortnight. The affliction had been confirmed by tests of samples conducted at the high Security Animal Health Laboratory in Bhopal, the sources said.

In view of this, Kerala Animal Husbandary Department yesterday instructed the officials at all its 18 border check posts not to allow into Kerala vehicles carrying poultry from farms in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The state Food Safety Authority is also monitoring and enforcing the ban. Kerala gets bulk of its chicken supply from farms in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.