Puri: The Animal Husbandry Department has imposed a three-month ban on poultry farming in bird flu-affected regions of Odisha's Puri district.

The ban has been imposed in the areas of Pipili, Delang, Nimapada, and Satyabadi, where hundreds of chickens have died following the outbreak of avian influenza.

According to the department's directive, poultry farming will be prohibited within a 1 km radius of infected areas. Furthermore, the sale and transportation of poultry products have been restricted within a radius of 1 km to 10 km of the affected areas.

Chicken samples from these areas will be tested every 15 days, and additional measures will be implemented if the H5N1 virus is detected.

The department has already sealed 55 out of 861 poultry farms in Pipili block and 64 out of 344 farms in Delang block as part of its efforts to contain the spread of bird flu.