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

[hawkeye]

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

Bird flu: Situation alarming, says Buddhadeb

Posted at Friday, 18 January 2008 17:01 IST

Kolkata, Jan 18: The West Bengal Chief Minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, on Friday described the bird flu outbreak in the state as "alarming", even as panic gripped Kolkata following death of some birds in the city.

Amid reports of slow pace of culling operations in Birbhum and South Dinajpur districts, the Chief Minister said the state government had set a target of culling four lakh poultry in the affected areas. The Rampurhat sub-division of Birbhum district was the worst affected, followed by Balurghat in West Dinajpur district, he said.

Bhattacharjee said it had been decided that poultry in the 5-10 km radius of the affected areas would be culled and the process would be completed within seven days. Dead birds -- crows and owls -- were found in Kolkata's southern and eastern parts on Friday causing fresh fears as a civic team moved around the metropolis to collect bird carcasses.

"We will tell the state health department to assess whether the deaths are unusual," a Kolkata civic department official said. Shopkeepers had downed the shutters on Thursday following reports of death of caged birds.

"We will have to kill four lakh birds in the affected districts. We have decided to increase the strength of the culling teams," Bhattacharjee said here after a meeting with central Livestock Commissioner, S K Banerjee, State Animal Resources Development Minister, Anisur Rehman, and Health Minister, S K Mishra.

Isolation wards have been kept ready in all sub-divisional hospitals for treating the affected. Medical college hospitals of Burdwan, Bankura and East Midnapore districts have also been put on alert, Bhattacharjee said.

The Chief Minister said the state finance department has allotted Rs 3 crore as compensation to poultry owners, who would, however, not be allowed to do business in the next three months.

As the state government rushed over 60 teams of animal husbandry workers to the affected areas to cull the birds, medical teams too fanned out to find out whether there was any infection in humans.

Confirming that bird flu has spread to Murshidabad district, Animal Resources Development Minister, Anisur Rahman, said the administration was taking adequate precautions.

Lack of awareness among bird owners and villagers had been hampering culling operations in most of the affected areas and a campaign has been launched to convince villagers that the government will pay them compensation.

An alert has been sounded along the Indo-Bangla border at Bongaon and Petrapole areas, where the BSF and the State government personnel were spraying disinfectants in vehicles entering the country from Bangladesh.

[Gert van der Hoek]

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

Bird deaths reported from new areas in WB

Kolkata Jan 18: Bird deaths in large numbers were reported from fresh areas in three districts in West Bengal as thousands of chickens were culled for the third day on Friday to curb the spread of bird flu with Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee describing the situation as "very serious."

Burdwan, Bankura and Murshidabad districts, which were previously unaffected, reported deaths of thousands of chickens though bird flu was not confirmed there, reports from the districts said.


However, officials said samples of the dead birds were sent for testing at Kolkata and if needed would be sent to the High Security Diseases Hospital, Bhopal.


Asked by newsmen how alarming the situation was, the chief minister said it was "very serious".


"We will have to kill four lakh birds in the affected districts. For this, we have decided to increase the strength of the culling teams," he said.


There was some panic in Kolkata when dead crows and owls were found in the southern and eastern parts of the metropolis. Bhattacharjee however described the situation as normal and said there was no cause for people to be worried.


"There is no report of any outbreak of the disease in poultries in Kolkata. However, an alert has been sounded in the city," he said.


Ten thousand chickens have died in Murshidabad since Tuesday while in Burdwan 2000 chickens perished in the last seven days. In Bankura, 400 sick birds were culled on Thursday.


There was no report of people being affected, the chief minister said, but as a precautionary measure, isolation wards were kept ready in all sub-divisional hospitals and medical college hospitals of Burdwan, Bankura and East Midnapore districts alerted. (Agencies)



Published: Friday, January 18, 2008

http://www.chennaionline.com/colnews/newsitem.asp?NEWSID=%7BB1963C3B-377B-47AA-9E4A-25C2B00752A8%7D&CATEGORYNAME=NATL

[HenryN]

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

Bird flu outbreak termed 'very serious'


Published: Jan. 18, 2008 at 11:42 AM




KOLKATA, India, Jan. 18 (UPI) -- The chief minister of India's West Bengal state, where a bird flu outbreak reportedly is spreading, Friday called the disease situation "very serious."

The description by Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee came as more areas in the eastern state reported chickens dying, the Press Trust of India said. The new areas included Burdwan and Bankura districts.

There were reports of crows and owls dying in Kolkata but the chief minister said they were no cause for alarm, PTI said.

But in the avian flu-affected areas, which cover four districts, Bhattacharjee was quoted as saying, "We will have to kill (400,000) birds in the affected districts," where he said the situation is "very serious."

He said the culling process would be completed in a week.

In some villages, government officials said residents had been demanding cash instead of official compensation certificates for participating in the culling.

India has successfully controlled previous outbreaks of bird flu.

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2008/01/18/bird_flu_outbreak_termed_very_serious/3042/

[HenryN]

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

Bird flu spreads to 3rd district in WB, culling continues

Kolkata/New Delhi (PTI): Bird flu spread to a third district in West Bengal while new areas in another three districts reported large-scale deaths of birds as Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Friday described the situation as "very serious."
Union Animal Husbandry Secretary Pradeep Kumar told reporters in New Delhi that bird samples from Murshidabad district have tested positive for bird flu on the basis of rapid tests and authorities are considering starting culling operations there.
In Birbhum and South Dinajpur, where the outbreak of bird flu was confirmed, culling continued for the third day today to curb the spread of the disease. The Centre confirmed that the samples from these two districts were the deadliest H5N1, which can mutate and infect Human Beings. Poultry deaths in these two districts and Murshidabad touched 85,000, officials said.
The districts of Burdwan, Bankura, Cooch Behar,Nadia and Purulia and 24 South Paragans reported several cases of bird deaths. But central officials said tests of samples in Purulia, Cooch Behar and Nadia proved negative for bird flu.
Asked by newsmen how alarming the situation was, Bhattacharya said it was "very serious".
"We will have to kill four lakh birds in the affected districts. For this, we have decided to increase the strength of the culling teams," he added.
There was some panic in Kolkata when dead crows and owls were found in the southern and eastern parts of the metropolis. Bhattacharjee however described the situation as normal and said there was no cause for people to be worried.
"There is no report of any outbreak of the disease in poultries in Kolkata. However, an alert was sounded in the city," he said. <!-- story ends --><HR color=#9b72cf noShade SIZE=1>http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus...0801182172.htm

[HenryN]

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

AVIAN INFLUENZA (15): INDIA (WEST BENGAL), IRAN (MAZANDARAN)
************************************************** **********
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

In this update:
[1] India: (West Bengal)
[2] Iran: (Mazandaran), India: (West Bengal)

******
[1] India: (West Bengal)
Date: Thu 17 Jan 2008
Source: IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting) News [edited]
<http://www.iribnews.ir/Full_en.asp?news_id=249540&n=30>


Health officials Thursday [17 Jan 2008] investigated new bird deaths
in eastern India to see whether bird flu was spreading to additional
areas despite a poultry cull aimed at curbing the disease, officials said.

Hundreds of bird deaths were reported in 4 new districts of West
Bengal state on Wednesday [16 Jan 2008] after an outbreak of bird flu
killed more than 54 000 birds in nearby Birbhum and Dinajpur
districts, said Anisur Rahman, state minister of animal husbandry.

Rahman said the symptoms in the new deaths, which all occurred in
areas close to each other, suggested they were not caused by bird
flu, but a virus locally known as Ranikhet -- a contagious and fatal
viral disease affecting all species of birds but with no record of
attacking humans.

The new areas under watch are in Nadia, Murshidabad, Burdwan, and
South 24 Parganas districts of West Bengal state, Rahman said.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Mary Marshall

[Ranikhet is an Indian vernacular name for New Castle disease, which
is also known as "pseudo fowl-plague" due to its clinical resemblance
to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI, known in the past as
"fowl plague"). See ProMED-mail 20060214.0492. - Mod. AS

West Bengal, in eastern India, can be located on the map at
<http://healthmap.org/promed?v=22.9,79.6,5>. - CopyEd.MJ]

******
[2] Iran: (Mazandaran), India: (West Bengal)
Date: Thu 17 Jan 2008
Source: CIDRAP (Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy) News [edited]
<http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/influenza/avianflu/news/jan1708birds.h
tml>


Officials in Iran have confirmed their country's 1st H5N1 avian
influenza outbreak in domestic birds, while authorities in eastern
India are working on a massive poultry cull amid worries about
possible new H5N1 outbreaks.

A report that Iran filed with the World Organization for Animal
Health (OIE) yesterday [16 Jan 2008] says the outbreak occurred in
Mazandaran, a northern province that fronts on the Caspian Sea.
Authorities destroyed a flock of 475 surviving free-range chickens
after 14 chickens died in an outbreak that began 10 Dec 2007, the report says.

The outbreak was detected through Iran's passive surveillance program
for avian flu, officials reported. Samples from the birds first
tested positive in the Iran Veterinary Organization's central
laboratory in December [2007], and an OIE reference lab in Padova,
Italy, confirmed the findings on 8 Jan 2008. The source of the
outbreak is under investigation, the report says.

Iran's only previous reported outbreak of H5N1 in birds occurred in
February 2006 and killed 153 wild swans in Gilan province, which
borders Mazandaran on the west, according to OIE records. The country
has reported no human cases.

In India, meanwhile, an official in West Bengal state voiced concern
that the virus may have spread to several other villages near one
where a poultry outbreak was confirmed on 15 Jan 2008, according to
an Agence France-Presse (AFP) report published today [17 Jan 2008].

"Reports have reached [us] that hens have started dropping dead in
several villages surrounding Margram," Anisur Rahman, the state's
animal resources minister, told AFP. "We are worried over the
situation. We have sought more help from the federal government."

In a 15 Jan 2008 report to the OIE, Indian officials said the virus
had killed more than 35 000 chickens on "small and marginal farms" in
3 villages in Birbhum district and 261 birds in a separate outbreak
in Dinajpur district. Both districts are in West Bengal. The report
said control measures would include destroying all poultry within
about 5 km (3 mi) of the outbreak sites. News reports have said that
about 400 000 birds would be destroyed.

An Associated Press (AP) report today [17 Jan 2008] quoted Rahman as
saying that hundreds of bird deaths were reported on 4 new districts
of West Bengal yesterday [16 Jan 2008] [see item 1 above]. But rather
than avian flu, he said the signs in those cases suggested a virus
locally known as Ranikhet, which affects all bird species but not
humans [see commentary].

The AP story put the number of birds killed by the H5N1 virus in
Birbhum and Dinajpur districts at 54 000.

The World Health Organization (WHO) expressed concern about the
Indian outbreaks today [17 Jan 2008], according to several news
reports. "More serious risk factors are associated with this current
outbreak than previously encountered, including that the affected
areas are more widespread and because of proximity to extended border
areas," the WHO was quoted as saying. The statement was carried by
AFP and by The Statesman, a West Bengal newspaper, among other
reports, but it was unclear which WHO official or office issued it.

Rahman said about 8000 birds were killed yesterday [16 Jan 2008], the
1st day of culling, but officials were facing some resistance from
bird owners, according to the AFP story.

West Bengal borders Bangladesh, which also has had recent avian flu
outbreaks. A Reuters report today [17 Jan 2008] said poultry culling
in Bangladesh was going smoothly after the detection of the virus in
3 more districts. Authorities reported 13 Jan 2008 that avian flu had
killed 500 chickens in the northeastern district of Moulivabazar.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[The news from Iran, stating that the outbreak in Mazandaran had
started already almost 6 weeks ago -- on 10 Dec 2007 -- is rather
disturbing. During the period which elapsed until its finally
confirmed diagnosis, the virus might have spread to other holdings
within and even beyond the affected region, unless rigorous measures
undertaken.

Iran's official notification, submitted to the OIE on 16 Jan 2008,
includes the following epidemiological comments: "The event was
reported according to the Iranian passive surveillance programme in
place; a post-outbreak investigation to trace the source of the
infection is ongoing to detect the probable spread and circulation of
the virus. Active surveillance is ongoing."

Vaccination against HPAI is "prohibited" in Iran; India, on the other
hand , declared "No vaccination." not a prohibition. Iran submitted
its report one day after India.

Iran's notification, with a map, is available at
<http://www.oie.int/wahid-prod/public.php?page=single_report&pop=1&reportid=6685
>.


The 1st item above, derived from Iran's official broadcasting
service, refers only to the Indian situation though mentioning the
findings in Iran would have been expected. According to some media
sources, the Iranian authorities have prohibited the country's media
from covering the problem of avian flu in Iran. We cite this
information with reservation, since it may have been politically
tainted; its confirmation or otherwise, from local sources, will be
helpful. - Mod. AS]

[see also:
Avian influenza (14): India (West Bengal) 20080117.0216
Avian influenza (11): India (West Bengal) 20080115.0193
Avian influenza (10): UK (England), swan, Iran, susp., Viet Nam 20080113.0160
2007
----
Avian influenza, human (117): India (Manipur), NOT 20070804.2530
Avian influenza, human (115): India (Manipur), susp., RFI 20070801.2487
Avian influenza (133): India (Manipur): conf., OIE 20070726.2409
Avian influenza (131): India (Manipur), RFI 20070718.2303
Avian influenza (87): Nigeria, India (RFI), Pakistan 20070526.1680
Avian influenza (80): India (West Bengal), susp 20070508.1485
Avian influenza (58): Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia 20070322.1008
Avian influenza (50): Indonesia (cats), Afghanistan, Iran, S. Korea
20070308.0826
2006
----
Undiagnosed disease, avian - Iran: RFI 20061225.3606
Avian influenza, human (168): Indonesia, Greece (ex India), susp 20061020.3017
Avian influenza, human (75); Indonesia, Iran, WHO 20060527.1491
Avian influenza, human (72) - Indonesia, Iran 20060523.1455
Avian influenza, human (71): Iran, susp. 20060522.1447
Avian influenza, human, worldwide (54): China, India 20060427.1228
Avian influenza, human, worldwide (53): India, susp 20060426.1210
Avian influenza, human - worldwide (13): India, Malaysia, Nigeria 20060222.0575
Avian influenza, human - worldwide (12): Egypt, India 20060221.0566
Avian influenza - Eurasia (28): Syria, Iran, planning 20060121.0203
Avian influenza - worldwide (78): Germany, P.A., India 20060405.1018
Avian influenza - worldwide (26): Egypt, India, OIE 20060220.0562
Newcastle disease, poultry - India (Maharashtra) 20060214.0492
2005
----
Avian influenza, H5N1, 2002 - India (Tamil Nadu): RFI 20050513.1312]
...................................arn/mj/dk

[HenryN]

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

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/01180803/H5N1_Calcutta_Alert.html

[AlaskaDenise]

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

Commentary at

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

Commentary

Calcutta Issues H5N1 Alert

Recombinomics Commentary 14:56
January 18, 2008

There was some panic in Kolkata when dead crows and owls were found in the southern and eastern parts of the metropolis. Bhattacharjee however described the situation as normal and said there was no cause for people to be worried.

"There is no report of any outbreak of the disease in poultries in Kolkata. However, an alert has been sounded in the city," he said.

Ten thousand chickens have died in Murshidabad since Tuesday while in Burdwan 2000 chickens perished in the last seven days. In Bankura, 400 sick birds were culled on Thursday.

The above comments describe more bird deaths in districts south of the large confirmed outbreak in Birbhum (see satellite map). Media reports indicate that chickens in Murshidabad have tested H5N1 positive in rapid test. Thus, each province that had wild bird and poultry deaths has tested positive for H5N1. Burdwan and Bankura have not yet tested positive, but are just northwest of Calcutta.

Although large poultry deaths have not been reported in Calcutta, the dead crows and hawks raise concerns that H5N1 has flown into the city. These arrivals do not have to result in dead poultry initially. Many countries in Europe have reported H5N1 in wild birds prior to detection in domestic poultry.

In Calcutta, although officials are downplaying the deaths of the wild bird, there has been an alert issued. H5N1 has been confirmed in southern Bangladesh, including Jessore, which is adjacent to the West Bengal border, about 75 miles from Calcutta.

Updates on wild bird and dead poultry testing in the southern districts would be useful.

.

[AlaskaDenise]

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

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/01...1_Kolkata.html

Commentary

Dead Wild Birds in Kolkata Raise H5N1 Concerns in India

Recombinomics Commentary 14:56
January 18, 2008

Dead birds --- crows and owls --- were found in Kolkata's southern and eastern parts today causing fresh fears as a civic team moved around the metropolis to collect bird carcasses.

The above comments on dead wild birds in Calcutta are cause for concern. Large numbers of dead crows were seen in initial video reports of H5N1 in Birbhum and media reports noted that owls and pigeons also died. Dead poultry in adjacent Murshidabad were also associated with dead wild birds, including crows and hawks, which were also linked to outbreaks in South Dinajpur.

Similarly, excess poultry deaths have been noted in multiple districts, including South 24 Parganas, which is south of Kolkata (see satellite map). Therefore, the reports of dead crows and owls in Kolkata raise concerns that H5N1 has spread along the length of the West Bengal / Bangladesh border.

Bangladesh has been reporting daily outbreaks of H5N1 including locations in southern Bangladesh, supporting extensive spread of H5N1 in both countries.

.

[HenryN]

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

Directive to prepare against bird flu

NEW DELHI: Delhi Health and Family Welfare Minister Yoganand Shastri met senior health officials from various agencies on Friday and directed them to be prepared against bird flu.
Stating that there was no cause for worry, Dr. Shastri issued orders to all large Delhi Government hospitals to ready themselves for any eventuality.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/19/stories/2008011956700400.htm

[HenryN]

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

Bird flu spreads to new areas


Special Correspondent







<CENTER>Photo: AP

TACKLING A THREAT: Health officials on a culling mission at Namopara Bazaar village in West Bengal on Friday to curb the spread of bird flu. ? </CENTER>
KOLKATA: With reports of deaths of more poultry birds from different regions pouring in, the West Bengal government on Friday called for intensifying culling operations.
Besides parts of Birbhum and South Dinajpur districts it has been confirmed that the disease has spread to two blocks of adjoining Murshidabad district, where more than 10,000 chickens have died over the past four days. Unusual mortality rates among poultry birds have also been reported from Burdwan, Nadia and Bankura districts.
Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who described the situation as ?alarming,? said there was ?no alternative? but to step up culling operations, which began on Wednesday.
There was, however, no report of any humans having been infected by the virus, he said.
?The numbers of those engaged in culling work has to be increased substantially ? we will have to kill nearly four lakh birds in the affected areas at the earliest,? Mr. Bhattacharjee said.
Anxiety in Kolkata


Nearly 40,000 birds were culled in a single day but there was need to hasten the process.
A deadline of a week had been set for the culling operations to be completed.
There was anxiety in the city and its suburbs following reports of the deaths of crows and owls in certain areas.
It was later established that the deaths were normal and there was no cause for panic. Kolkata is in a state of general alert like the rest of the State. There are no reports of any deaths in the city?s poultries either.
The Finance Department has allocated Rs. 3 crore for compensation to those having to give away their chickens and sell poultry products in the areas affected by avian flu.
The Chief Minister reviewed the situation with Central Livestock Commissioner S.K. Banerjee, Ministers and officials of the State?s Animal Resources Development and Health departments.
Mr. Bhattacharjee said the authorities would call for the culling of birds without waiting for a confirmation of the presence of the disease from the High Risk Animal Diseases Laboratory, Bhopal.
Sixty teams comprising five members each fanned out to the affected areas for the operations but there was a need for more such teams.
Medical workers had also been sent to these areas to check whether any human being has been affected.
Even as there were reports quoting the World Health Organisation authorities as saying that the outbreak in parts of the State could possibly be one of the worst H5N1 epidemics ever, the United States Consul-General in the city, H.V. Jardine, said his country could consider any request for help to tackle the situation if the State government approached it through the U.S. embassy.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/19/stories/2008011957070100.htm

[HenryN]

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

Bird flu lands poultry sector in soup








HYDERABAD: The poultry industry in Andhra Pradesh is staring at a major crisis following confirmed outbreak of bird flu in West Bengal. It?s as if the industry is hit by a double whammy of sorts. On one hand, the domestic export of eggs has plummeted to its nadir, while on the other, prices of eggs and even broiler are fast declining.
That?s not all. The cost of feed ingredients like maize and soya has registered 100 per cent increase. With no domestic export, layer poultry farm owners are faced with an unenviable task of storing eggs in their facilities. Shortage of trays has become a major challenge.
Already, the signs are ominous. ?Rate of egg has come down from Rs. 1.70 to Re. 1 each and broiler rates from Rs. 38 to Rs. 32,? feels president of Poultry Breeders Association D. Ram Reddy.
Andhra Pradesh farmers export as many as 2.5 crore eggs a day to other States, mostly north India, while the total production of eggs is around 5.5 crore per day. The break-even price per egg, including production costs, for a producer roughly is Rs. 1.50 paise per egg while the present going rate is just Re. 1.
The industry would be incurring losses to the tune of Rs. 2.75 crore per day. And this loss is only on poultry eggs.
?It took three to four months for things to stabilise after the Maharashtra bird flu outbreak. If the flu does not spread to other parts from West Bengal, it would take another two to three months for things to stabilise,? felt Mr. Reddy.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/19/stories/2008011956010100.htm

[AlaskaDenise]

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

from post #160:

.....reports of the deaths of crows and owls in certain areas.
It was later established that the deaths were normal and there was no cause for panic.....

Interesting that scavengers in the areas with dead poultry didn't die of the same disease.

.

[Gert van der Hoek]

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

Update

Districts of West Bengal


Confirmed bird flu

# 5 South Dinajpur

# 7 Birbhum District

# 8 Murshidabad


Unconfirmed reports from:

# 6 Maldah

# 9 Bardhaman / Burdwan

# 12 Bankura

# 13 Hooghly

# 18 South 24-Parganas


Reported Negative

# 3 Cooch Behar

# 11 Purulia

# 10 Nadia

# 17 Kolkata / Calcutta Metropolis (crows and other wild bird deaths)


Disclaimer: the news is rather chaotic; situation can change any day or any hour; corrections are welcome.

[hawkeye]

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

Avian flu alert in Nagaland


DIMAPUR, JAN 18 (NPN): The state Veterinary & Animal Husbandry department has issued certain tips in preparedness, control, and containment of Avian influenza in view of reports of continuous multiple outbreaks of the disease (H5NI) in Pakistan, Myanmar, Bangladesh and other neighbouring countries where some human cases of H5NI have been reported.
Additional director, Vet. & AH, Dr. LS Moses in a press release said avian influenza has also affected Birbhum and South Dinajpur districts of West Bengal and therefore Nagaland too was very vulnerable as most of the birds for commercial stocks came from West Bengal.
The tips issued by the department are:
? Intensification of surveillance activities including reporting of unusual sickness/high mortality of birds to the veterinary department.
? District veterinary officers and subordinate staffs are to collect minimum of twenty samples from both commercial and backyard poultry farms representing every RD Block in the district. The collected samples are to be sent to ELSA laboratory, Kohima, on ore before 5th of every month for onward submission to Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, Kolkata.
? Sealing of international border with Myanmar and avoiding illegal trade of poultry birds, its products and pigs, which could be the carrier of the disease.
? Avoiding unnecessary contact with poultry birds, droppings, and feathers. Incase of contact, hands should be washed properly.
? Symptoms of infection in human can be similar to the ?Flu? including difficulty in breathing, high fever, cold, running nose etc. In case on any suspicion, one should immediately report to medical authorities.
? To keep birds in enclosures. Safe disposal of dead/culled birds are vital steps to control the spread of the disease.
? To impart necessary training to all veterinary work force and rapid response teams in all districts in avian influenza.

[hawkeye]

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

Bird flu alert in Delhi

New Delhi, Jan 18: A bird flu alert was today sounded in the national capital with all vehicles carrying poultry from the neighbouring states being checked and the sale of chickens allowed only after the required clinical tests.

Delhi Health Minister Yoganand Shastri held a meeting with officials of the state government, MCD, NDMC and NICD to review the state of preparedness in Delhi following the outbreak of bird flu in West Bengal.

''The Department of Animal Husbandry is keeping a strict watch on the 15 poultry farms in the capital...it is fully geared to take on any eventuality through a rapid response team,'' he said.

Dr Shastri said a state rapid response team and nine district rapid response teams had already been constituted.

The minister directed the officials to spread awareness among the public about the disease.

The officials were directed to ensure that strict vigilance continued to be maintained as per guidelines of the Delhi government in this regard.

--- UNI