India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 13 - Jan 20

[Shannon Bennett]

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Scientists_team_will_try_to__find_out_bird_flu_virus_origin/rssarticleshow/2706273.cms

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width="100%"><ARTTITLE>Scientists' team will try to find out bird flu virus origin</ARTTITLE>
17 Jan 2008, 0054 hrs IST,Kounteya Sinha ,TNN
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="PADDING-TOP: 5px" colSpan=2><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="FONT-SIZE: 11px"> Print</TD><TD style="PADDING-LEFT: 20px; FONT-SIZE: 11px"></TD><TD style="PADDING-LEFT: 20px; FONT-SIZE: 11px"></TD><TD style="PADDING-LEFT: 20px; FONT-SIZE: 11px"></TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=4 height=2></TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=5>
</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=4 height=5></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left><!--google_ad_region_start=article-->NEW DELHI: A high-level team of scientists being put together by the Union health ministry will soon look into the genetics of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus, that has been isolated from the outbreak in West Bengal.

The team will analyse the strain, detect where it came from, what type and how pathogenic it is. Being finalized by ICMR, the team will have scientists from National Institute of Communicable Diseases (Delhi), National Institute of Virology (Pune) and National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (Kolkata) ? all labs that now have Bio Safety Level-III facility to test human samples infected with bird flu.

The decision to form the team was taken by Union health secretary Naresh Dayal during two separate meetings that took place on Tuesday after the animal husbandry department formally informed him of the fresh bird flu
outbreak. However, India is still not certain whether the virus that has been isolated from West Bengal is H5N1.

"What we know is that the virus is H5 and so highly pathogenic for birds. HSADL is presently testing to determine if it is the equally dangerous N1 subtype. Confirmation will come in 5 days time. Initial reports said it is H5N1," secretary, animal husbandry, Pradeep Kumar said. Dayal told TOI: "While NICED and NIV will mainly test human samples, NIV will conduct the genetic studies of the strain. The team will start genetic studies soon."

Influenza A subtype H5N1 is the one that can cause illness in humans and other animal species. While HA is found on the surface of the influenza virus and is responsible for binding the virus to the cell that is being infected, NA is an enzyme found on the surface of the virus that facilitates the release of progeny viruses from infected cells. The virus, that was detected from the outbreak in Manipur in July 2007, was the highly pathogenic Qinghai strain of H5N1, which was capable of infecting humans and originated in China's midwestern province of Qinghai.

The strain has a mutation that helps the virus grow at temperatures found in human noses, which are cooler than the insides of the bird's intestines. Scientists at HSADL (Bhopal), who carried out the genetic sequencing of the genes HA and NA of the virus, said: "The cleavage site of the genes in the Manipur virus had over six basic amino acids which determined its tremendous toxicity." Dr H K Pradhan, former chief of HSADL, said the higher the content of amino acid, the more lethal the virus is.

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[Shannon Bennett]

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems...ORISSA&Topic=0&
Bird flu, no threat in Orissa
Wednesday January 16 2008 08:42 IST
<SMALL>Express News Service</SMALL>

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<SMALL>BHUBANESWAR: The State Government on Tuesday said it was not perturbed by the outbreak of bird flu in West Bengal and assured that all precautionary measures have been taken to prevent such a situation in Orissa.

?We are alert and precautionary measures have been taken,? Minister for Fisheries and Animal Resources Development Golak Bihari Nayak told this website?s newspaper.

The Minister said he reviewed the situation and there has been no report of unusual poultry casualties in the bordering districts of Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar and Balasore.

He said officials have been deputed to monitor the situation. Besides, Orissa does not depend on West Bengal for poultry, he said, adding that the disease has minimum chance of spreading in the State.</SMALL>

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

Unconfirmed stories, saying bird flu is spreading in more districts

Thousands of chickens die in Nadia too

Statesman News Service

KRISHNAGAR, Jan. 16: Coming at a time when the deadly H5N1 avian influenza or bird flu virus is spreading terror in Birbhum, South 24-Parganas and other districts in West Bengal and neighbouring Bangladesh, the deaths of thousands of chickens in some villages of Nadia bordering Bangladesh for the past 15 days have sent alarm bells ringing.

The possibility seems strong since at least 5,000 chickens have died of an unknown disease and villagers of Srirampur, Pratapnagar, Jannagar, Kanainagar, Kanchantala, Rajapur and Uttar Tazpur under the Tehatta-I block and Burnia under Tehatta-II block are panicking as the affected chickens had not responded to the medication.

Though the symptoms were akin to the Ranikhet disease, the medicines used to combat the virus did not work on the chickens, said Mr Jinnat Ali, upa pradhan of Kanainagar gram panchayat.

Mrs Saraswati Biswas, panchayat pradhan of Kanainagar gram panchayat, said: “At least 5,000 chickens have died of an unknown disease at several villages in the panchayat during the last 15 days. The first symptoms were detected when the birds looked drowsy. They died within 48 hours.

Hundreds of villagers from Uttar Tazpur, Pratapnagar and Rajapur had the same experience. The deaths have been particularly worrisome, since villagers, mostly from the minority community depend on these birds for their livelihood.”

Mr Arup Sengupta, Tehatta sub-divisional officer, said: “I have received information about the deaths of some chickens in a few villages yesterday but it is yet to be confirmed whether the birds died of flu. The district health department and animal husbandry officials were in the spot today and they have taken measures to combat the situation.”

Mr Onkar Singh Meena, district magistrate, said: “We are prepared for any eventuality. The veterinary officers and health officials are working in the affected villages and collecting samples. We will first send the samples to Kolkata for identification of the virus and if the reports do point at bird flu, we will take steps.”

The Kanaipur panchayat today banned the sale of birds in the panchayat area and neighbouring villages from where abnormal mortality of chickens has been reported. The India-Bangladesh border has been sealed to prevent chicken entry from Bangladesh.

At Baruipur in South 24-Parganas also, more than 50 chickens died in two poultry farms over the past five days triggering fears that Avian Flu struck the district.

According to reports, district administration has sounded an alert after death of birds were reported. Blood samples of chickens of these two firms have been sent to the city for tests. Unofficial sources said that nearly 200 birds had died in Baruipur over the past week.

http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=6&theme=&usrsess=1&id=186078

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

Districts of West Bengal:

Confirmed bird flu

# 5 South Dinajpur

# 7 Birbhum District

Unconfirmed reports from:

# 6 Maldah

# 8 Murshidabad

# 10 Nadia

# 18 South 24-Parganas


Note: # 17 is Kolkata / Calcutta Metropolis

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

Few ready to hand over birds for culling

some snips

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Margram (Birbhum), January 16 : On the first day of culling operations in Birbhum areas hit by bird flu, it was a wild goose chase for health officials with villagers being reluctant to hand over their livestock, at times even resisting the effort.

The authorities on Wednesday fell well short of their target of culling 3.5 lakh birds in affected villages.

The main point of resentment among the villagers was that the compensation offered by the state Government was too little. They complained that Rs 40 (for a full grown chicken) was too meagre an amount in exchange for their birds.

In sharp contrast to the officials with special goggles, jackets and footwear, villagers gathered at culling spots mostly bare bodied. Chickens and ducks were roaming around the spots, with many of the ducks swimming in adjacent ponds. But when officials called on the villagers to co-operate, they curtly asked the officials to catch the birds themselves.

Villagers also informed that on Tuesday there was a feast of duck and chicken in many villages.

http://www.indianexpress.com/story/262266.html

[HenryN]

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

First Published: 12:30 IST(16/1/2008)
Last Updated: 02:31 IST(17/1/2008)

West Bengal culls chickens, bird flu spreads


Even as culling of poultry began in the state, reports of the deadly bird flu disease spreading to newer areas came in on Wednesday, with the state government issuing a general alert. Meanwhile, Margram village in Birbhum district has been declared the epicentre of the bird flu outbreak and sealed off from the rest of the country.
The state government has confirmed that the flu is spreading to Murshidabad and two new blocks in Birbhum. More poultry birds are dying with symptoms of bird flu in other parts of the state, including Burdwan, South 24 Parganas, Nadia and Malda.

It was learnt that the animal husbandry department in New Delhi has pulled up the state for its delay in taking measures to prevent the outbreak. While the birds started dying on January 4, the state informed the Centre a week later ? resulting in delay in public awareness campaigns. Moreover, culling in the vulnerable Margram village started around 1 pm on Wednesday ? a full 24 hours after the Centre confirmed existence of the deadly disease in Bengal on Tuesday afternoon.

The operation could not gain momentum till Wednesday evening, following the state government?s failure to properly train the health workers and spread public awareness campaigns in Rampurhat and Balurghat. The poor villagers also tried to escape killing their birds by selling them outside and releasing them in the nearby fields.
Director of Health Services Sanchita Bakshi said, ?The culling process was a little delayed in the affected districts. Around 1,500 chickens were disposed of in Birbhum district on the first day. A team of experts from Delhi is coming to the city on Thursday to take stock of the situation. They will also hold meetings with state health and animal resource development officials.?
Meanwhile, all private vehicles have been banned from entering or leaving a 10 km radius around the epicentre, Margram. ?The idea is to contain the outbreak by preventing poultry being smuggled out of the area,? Union Health Secretary Naresh Dayal said. Though there are no reports of suspected human infections, the health authorities are not taking any chances. ?Ten doctors have been appointed to monitor the health of the cullers. Of the 280 examined before the culling started, 29 were found unfit. The rest went to work wearing full protective gear,? he added.
The Centre has sent another 20,000 doses of Tamiflu ? the medicine used to treat bird flu ? to add to the state?s existing stock of 3,700 doses.



http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print.aspx?Id=482e3e18-2311-453e-b5f1-9ad99ac68c18

[Shannon Bennett]

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=779d4d78-ac39-45ff-b88a-e11c5ceb0755&MatchID1=4627&TeamID1=1&TeamID2=6&Mat chType1=1&SeriesID1=1165&PrimaryID=4627&Headline=P anic+hits+local+market%2c+prices+drop

Panic hits local market, prices drop

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<!--End of the leftContentPane--><!--Start of the CenterContentPane--><!--Start of top module--><!-- VIN: Start of InfoBox -->HT Correspondents, Hindustan Times
Email Author
Kolkata, January 17, 2008
First Published: 03:46 IST(17/1/2008)
Last Updated: 03:50 IST(17/1/2008)
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<!--End of top module--><!--Start of the story--><!-- VIN: Start of actual news body -->It may be a sheer coincidence that chicken was not served at the CPI(M) state conference at Mahajati Sadan on Wednesday, but the bird flu panic has certainly hit the local market.
Prices in the wholesale market have dropped, caterers complained that customers are canceling orders, roadside eateries and restaurants alleged that there was a sharp decline in their sales and city hospitals have stopped offering chicken and eggs to patients.
The state poultry industry, which have a large market in neighbouring Jharkhand and Bihar, is in a sticky situation as both states have imposed a blanket ban on the import of Bengal chicks following the outbreak of the dreaded disease. The West Bengal government has already ordered culling of chickens, principal secretary, animal resource development department, Dilip Chakraborty, said at Writers’ Buildings on Wednesday.
According to Chakraborty, the state exports approximately 40,000 chicks to Jharkhand and 60,000 to Bihar every day. The ban on the import has virtually put the state poultry industry in quandary. The state information and culture department, of which Chakraborty is the principal secretary, would be issuing an advertisement, both in the electronic and print media so that the state poultry industry does not face a similar experience, as it had experienced two years back. Md Kamaluddin, who sells chicken in New Market said, “Everyday I sell around 200 kilograms, but today I have sold only about 125 kilograms. If the trend continues then the prices will drop sharply, as it happened in 2004 and 2006.”
The scenario in the wholesale market was, however, little different. Prices have already dropped by at least three rupees and hatchery owners are blaming it on dealers and middlemen. Assistant secretary of West Bengal Poultry Welfare Association, Nazrul Islam said, “It is the middleman and dealers who are pressurising to cut down the prices”.

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/01...irbhum_WB.html

Commentary

Wild Bird Spread of H5N1 in West Bengal India?

Recombinomics Commentary 10:10
January 16, 2008

And the deadly strain of the virus couldn't have struck at a worse time, the 18th of December, a couple of days before Bakrid - a time when the demand for chicken peaks in the Muslim dominated village.

Dead chickens and even a few crows and owls are strewn across the landscape, according to health officials and television news pictures.

TV pictures also showed shirtless farmers picking up dead chickens with their bare hands and dropping them in shallow pits, some covering their mouths with cotton scarves.

Protection did not seem to be of much importance as many in other villages of the affected districts were seen holding dead pigeons and crows with their bare hands.

The above comments indicate the outbreak in the Birbhum district (see updated satellite map) began a month ago, and resident wild birds, including crows, pigeons, and owls have been affected.

Many of the infected birds have been eaten by villagers, and at least two have shown bird flu symptoms.

The delayed response is due in part by limited testing due to concerns about causing alarm. Although this is the third H5N1 outbreak in India, they have yet to report H5N1 in wild birds, even though the bar headed geese from Qinghai Lake in central China winter in the northern plains of India.

In the current outbreak in West Bengal, H5N1 has been confirmed in two districts and suspected to have spread to a third. The outbreaks are near the eastern border shared with Bangladesh, where confirmed and suspect outbreaks on also being currently reported. The Bangladesh border has been sealed to limit cross border movement.

However, the outbreak in Birbhum is only 20 miles from the Bangladesh border as the crow flies, so limits on the ground may not effectively limit spread. Similarly, the farm in Balurghat in south Dinajour is on the border, and suspect bird deaths have been noted across the border in Rajshahi, Bangladesh.

The time delay, coupled with dead resident wild birds suggests the H5N1 has spread beyond the reported locations.

More information on testing in adjacent areas would be useful.

.

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/01...gal_Culls.html

Commentary

Expanded H5N1 Culling in West Bengal India

Recombinomics Commentary 11:05
January 16, 2008

Following news of poultry deaths that emerged on 12 January, culling has started in Birbhum and South Dinajpur districts, with West Bengal administration officials saying culling has also begun in the adjoining districts of Maldah and Mushidabad.

The number of birds on the culling list for these four districts would be near the 300,000 mark, said the Union agriculture ministry, with more than 30 tonnes of feedstock also slated to be destroyed.

The above comments describe expanded culling in West Bengal, India (see updated satellite map). H5N1 has been confirmed in Birbhum and South Dinjapur, but H5N1 has also been confirmed across the border in Bangladesh, so the outbreak may have already spread well beyond the confirmed region.

Media reports suggest chickens began dying in Birbhum a month ago. Dead crows, pigeons, and owls have been noted in the region. The expanded culls include areas between the two confirmed locations, as well as areas between the Birbhum outbreak and the Bangladesh border, which is just 20 miles from the outbreak.

Bangldesh has also reported dead poultry just across the border from the South Dinjapur outbreak, so sealing of the border may not limit spread.

More details on culled locations and dead birds in the expanded regions would be useful.

.

[HenryN]

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

Unconfirmed stories, saying bird flu is spreading in more districts

Thousands of chickens die in Nadia too

Statesman News Service

KRISHNAGAR, Jan. 16: Coming at a time when the deadly H5N1 avian influenza or bird flu virus is spreading terror in Birbhum, South 24-Parganas and other districts in West Bengal and neighbouring Bangladesh, the deaths of thousands of chickens in some villages of Nadia bordering Bangladesh for the past 15 days have sent alarm bells ringing.

The possibility seems strong since at least 5,000 chickens have died of an unknown disease and villagers of Srirampur, Pratapnagar, Jannagar, Kanainagar, Kanchantala, Rajapur and Uttar Tazpur under the Tehatta-I block and Burnia under Tehatta-II block are panicking as the affected chickens had not responded to the medication.

Though the symptoms were akin to the Ranikhet disease, the medicines used to combat the virus did not work on the chickens, said Mr Jinnat Ali, upa pradhan of Kanainagar gram panchayat.

Mrs Saraswati Biswas, panchayat pradhan of Kanainagar gram panchayat, said: ?At least 5,000 chickens have died of an unknown disease at several villages in the panchayat during the last 15 days. The first symptoms were detected when the birds looked drowsy. They died within 48 hours.

Hundreds of villagers from Uttar Tazpur, Pratapnagar and Rajapur had the same experience. The deaths have been particularly worrisome, since villagers, mostly from the minority community depend on these birds for their livelihood.?

Mr Arup Sengupta, Tehatta sub-divisional officer, said: ?I have received information about the deaths of some chickens in a few villages yesterday but it is yet to be confirmed whether the birds died of flu. The district health department and animal husbandry officials were in the spot today and they have taken measures to combat the situation.?

Mr Onkar Singh Meena, district magistrate, said: ?We are prepared for any eventuality. The veterinary officers and health officials are working in the affected villages and collecting samples. We will first send the samples to Kolkata for identification of the virus and if the reports do point at bird flu, we will take steps.?

The Kanaipur panchayat today banned the sale of birds in the panchayat area and neighbouring villages from where abnormal mortality of chickens has been reported. The India-Bangladesh border has been sealed to prevent chicken entry from Bangladesh.

At Baruipur in South 24-Parganas also, more than 50 chickens died in two poultry farms over the past five days triggering fears that Avian Flu struck the district.

According to reports, district administration has sounded an alert after death of birds were reported. Blood samples of chickens of these two firms have been sent to the city for tests. Unofficial sources said that nearly 200 birds had died in Baruipur over the past week.

http://www.thestatesman.net/page.new...ss=1&id=186078

Updated map

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=106484775090296685271.0004353ecc9cb8856de8c&om=0&t=h&ll=24.249469,88.332825&spn=4.146381,6.031494&z=7

[HenryN]

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

news service
Posted online: Thursday, January 17, 2008 at 0136 hrs IST
Kolkata, January 16
Avian Flu has spread to new areas even as culling of chickens in Birbhum proved an uphill task.
The new areas declared affected include Muraroi Block 1 and Muraroi Block 2 and Rampurhat Municipality of Birbhum and four gram panchayat areas ? Kadamkandi, Parulia, Jhilli and Kirtipur of Khargram in Murshidabad.
?We have imposed all standard restrictions and culling at those places will start tomorrow. So far, 55,000 chickens have died of Avian Flu. We have not yet received the report of any human being afflicted,? said Anisur Rehman, Minister for Animal Resource Development. All poultry farms have been asked not to rear any chicken for the next three months.
Tomorrow, a Central team comprising the Additional Director General and the Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Health will come to Kolkata to meet the state government officials.
The government has also sent samples of dead birds from Baruipore in South 24 Parganas. ?About 40 chickens have died, but symptoms are of Ranikhet, another common disease,? he said.
The Poultry Farm Owners Association of West Bengal has, meanwhile, expressed deep concern as Jharkhand has banned the import of chickens from West Bengal. ?Their representatives met me and said they would face tremendous financial loss. We will take up the issue with the Centre,? said Dilip Chakrabarthy, principal secretary, Department of Animal Resources.
Apart from paying compensation to those whose chickens had been culled, the government is also planning to compensate those whose chickens had died.
The government will also demand that the Centre sets up a regional laboratory in the state to test Bird Flu samples. ?I am going to attend the meeting of Indian Council for Agricultural Research in Delhi on January 23 and will raise the demand with Union minister for Agriculture Sharad Pawar,? the minister said.

http://www.indianexpress.com/printerFriendly/262439.html

[Commonground]

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

So far, 55,000 chickens have died of Avian Flu.

Whoa! Dr. Niman, did you witness this many just dying, last winter/spring?

[HenryN]

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

Whoa! Dr. Niman, did you witness this many just dying, last winter/spring?

I would put H5N1 in India and Bangladesh well into the "out of control" category.

[Shannon Bennett]

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

Considering the number of cases within 24 hours I would concur with Dr. Niman. However, there have been other incidents of high poultry losses. http://www.fao.org/docs/eims/upload/...tnam_mar06.pdf
See page 30. While this is for Vietnam it does give some idea of how many have either died or been culled over a period of time. The numbers are simply staggering.

[Commonground]

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

Thank you for getting back to me Dr. Niman. I'll check out that FAO report tomorrow Shannon, thanks.