COIMBATORE: Following the bird flu outbreak in Andhra Pradesh, surveillance has been increased in poultry farms in Namakkal, the hub for the poultry sector.

As part of a precautionary measure, disinfectants were sprayed in the farms. The health department has already issued an alert to Tiruvallur, Ranipet, Vellore, Tirupattur and Krishnagiri districts sharing borders with Andhra Pradesh, where the outbreak of avian influenza led to death of thousands of birds.

“Bird flu cannot spread in Tamil Nadu due to better hygienic methods adopted by the farmers. Samples of blood collected from farms in Namakkal are sent for lab testing every month,” said ‘Vangili’ Subramaniam, vice president of Tamil Nadu Egg Poultry Farmers Federation.