Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 24+
TODAY'S EDITORIAL: Bird Flu Backlash</ARTTITLE>
25 Jan 2008, 0001 hrs IST
SMS NEWS to 58888 for latest updates
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left>More than 6,00,000 eggs are piling up in Namakkal, the poultry capital of Tamil Nadu, even as egg prices slide with the fall in demand. Thousands of broiler chickens are waiting in the wings as poultry entrepreneurs pray for importers to resume buying.
The avian flu outbreak in West Bengal has simply devastated the poultry farmer in Tamil Nadu ? setting the industry back by over Rs 500 crore ? though the distance between the two states is thousands of kilometres and there is absolutely no sign of the virus in the south.
Meanwhile, the government of West Bengal ? where the H5N1 flu virus has now infected poultry in half the state ? is unable to contain the outbreak. It is wasting precious time sparring with the Centre, which has accused the state government of not doing enough on time.
This, however, is not the time for mudslinging. Little has been done to enlighten people on what the culling drive is all about. Hence the state faces problems of hidden poultry and backyard culling, leading to poor sanitation and greater risk of infection.
The West Bengal government must act quickly to contain the outbreak, before it spreads to neighbouring states.
Five persons have been quarantined in West Bengal as they have shown symptoms of avian flu, but as yet there are no confirmed cases. Right now the impact on the poultry industry is much more disconcerting. It is losing out on huge export orders to countries in the Gulf among others.
Fear of a possible pandemic is turning consumers away from chicken and eggs. This is a pity since they are a relatively affordable source of protein.
Poultry exporters say that they want the central government to divide the country zone-wise so that there is a clear understanding of which parts are affected and which are not.
Zoning would help producers label their products. This proposal should be implemented. Zoning and labelling would help revive exports somewhat.
The World Health Organisation says this is the worst outbreak of H5N1 virus in India till date. But the infrastructure and laboratory facilities to enable documentation, testing, detection and research in both animal/bird and human samples are inadequate.
There are just two facilities, in Bhopal and in Pune, for testing avian samples and one each in Pune, Kolkata and Delhi for human tests.
Bird flu outbreaks have happened in India before, in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Manipur. It looks like it is going to be a recurrent problem. West Bengal officials say at least another 1,000 vets and doctors are needed to deal with the outbreak. Clearly, it is not being tackled with sufficient urgency.
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TODAY'S EDITORIAL: Bird Flu Backlash</ARTTITLE>
25 Jan 2008, 0001 hrs IST
SMS NEWS to 58888 for latest updates

The avian flu outbreak in West Bengal has simply devastated the poultry farmer in Tamil Nadu ? setting the industry back by over Rs 500 crore ? though the distance between the two states is thousands of kilometres and there is absolutely no sign of the virus in the south.
Meanwhile, the government of West Bengal ? where the H5N1 flu virus has now infected poultry in half the state ? is unable to contain the outbreak. It is wasting precious time sparring with the Centre, which has accused the state government of not doing enough on time.
This, however, is not the time for mudslinging. Little has been done to enlighten people on what the culling drive is all about. Hence the state faces problems of hidden poultry and backyard culling, leading to poor sanitation and greater risk of infection.
The West Bengal government must act quickly to contain the outbreak, before it spreads to neighbouring states.
Five persons have been quarantined in West Bengal as they have shown symptoms of avian flu, but as yet there are no confirmed cases. Right now the impact on the poultry industry is much more disconcerting. It is losing out on huge export orders to countries in the Gulf among others.
Fear of a possible pandemic is turning consumers away from chicken and eggs. This is a pity since they are a relatively affordable source of protein.
Poultry exporters say that they want the central government to divide the country zone-wise so that there is a clear understanding of which parts are affected and which are not.
Zoning would help producers label their products. This proposal should be implemented. Zoning and labelling would help revive exports somewhat.
The World Health Organisation says this is the worst outbreak of H5N1 virus in India till date. But the infrastructure and laboratory facilities to enable documentation, testing, detection and research in both animal/bird and human samples are inadequate.
There are just two facilities, in Bhopal and in Pune, for testing avian samples and one each in Pune, Kolkata and Delhi for human tests.
Bird flu outbreaks have happened in India before, in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Manipur. It looks like it is going to be a recurrent problem. West Bengal officials say at least another 1,000 vets and doctors are needed to deal with the outbreak. Clearly, it is not being tackled with sufficient urgency.
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