India - Bird Flu in POULTRY/ANIMALS Feb 5th - 10th 2008

[Treyfish]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

Fish costlier in Kolkata

<SMALL>From our ANI Correspondent
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Kolkata, Feb 9: West Bengal Fish sellers are making a killing after the State Government's ban on chicken sales in the wake of the outbreak of H5N1 strain of bird flu virus. <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=3 width=255 align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD bgColor=#ffffff colSpan=3 height=1></TD></TR><TR><TD width=1 bgColor=#ffffff height=21></TD><TD align=left width=100 bgColor=#ffffff height=20><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><SCRIPT type=text/javascript><!-- google_ad_client = 'pub-9743520551274558'; google_ad_width = 250; google_ad_height = 250; google_ad_format = '250x250_as'; google_color_border = 'FFFFFF'; google_color_bg = 'FFFF99'; google_color_link = '000000'; google_color_url = '999999'; google_color_text = '000000'; google_ad_channel = '4898485360'; //--></SCRIPT><SCRIPT src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js" type=text/javascript> </SCRIPT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TD width=1 bgColor=#ffffff height=21></TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#ffffff colSpan=3 height=1></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Bird flu has spread to 13 of West Bengal's 19 Districts.

"More than 3.4 million birds have been culled in the State since H5N1 virus was first reported last month," a West Bengal State official said.

The West Bengal Government has banned the sale of chicken across the State till February 12 and the fish sellers in the State are making the most of it as chicken eaters are now switching to fish.

"Chicken has been banned in the wake of bird flu in the State. Before the outbreak of bird flu, 'rohu' (a popular fish variety) was selling at 70-75 rupees per kilograms. But now after the outbreak we get it at 80 rupees and then we sell it for 120 rupees per kilograms," said Amit Das, a fish seller in Kolkata.

The customers are mainly Bengalis, who are known for their fascination for fish.

"Earlier Hilsa (a fish variety) cost 200 rupees. I was spending 200 rupees on fish and now I have to spend 500. Bengalis cannot live without fish and these sellers are taking advantage of that," said Rita Das, a customer.
http://www.dailyindia.com/show/21477...ier-in-Kolkata

[Treyfish]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

Cops henpecked at Writers? as chickens come home to roost

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Mohammed Safi Shamsi

Posted online: Saturday , February 09, 2008 at 02:30:32
Updated: Saturday , February 09, 2008 at 02:48:26
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Kolkata, February 8 Unable to get any political mileage from the culling issue, the workers of the Congress party vented their frustration today by making a chicken run of the Writers? Buildings.

The procedure involved bombarding the security guards with live chickens. And it was carried out with a precision befitting a commando operation.
There was no advance notification from the marauders. Nor was there any prior intelligence of their plan among the ruling party.
But out of the blue, around 1 pm, about two dozen men packed in cabs ? representing Congress party?s Burrabazar youth wing unit ? stormed the Writers? VIP gate with over a dozen chicken.
The policemen manning the gate just had minutes to cordon off the entrance. And after the recent taste of mob fury at Dinhata and Bankura, they were in no mood to retaliate.
Not that they were in a state to.
What they were ready for was assault from human agency - stones, bricks and even the odd bottle. But the running, squawking, pecking, flapping, scared birds had the officers on duty chickening out in no time.
As per ?unofficial? reports, two policemen were seen rushing for first aid - the injuries involved pecks in the elbow and the below the knee.
The commotion gave the Congress workers sufficient time to squat, show posters and shout slogans about bird flu infections and the police firing at Dinhata in front of the lenses.
While it was relatively easier to round up the Congress workers, it took a while for the policemen, no spring chicken themselves, to ?arrest? the hopping, flapping, hiding chicken.
Traffic flow in the vicinity was severely affected, though for a short time.
Finally the men and the chicken were all packed into three police vans and sent to the central lock-up at Lal Bazar.
While the men were released later, the fate of the chicken is still undecided: ?We have handed over the chicken to a local dealer to keep them in safe custody. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation has refused to take away the birds as Kolkata has not been declared a culling zone,? Vineet Goyal, deputy commission (headquarters) told The Indian Express.
Chief municipal health officer Dr DD Chattopadhyay contradicted the police version: ?We were not contacted by Lal Bazar. And if we were, what can we to do? Do we have place for keeping chicken??
The gimmick, however, has put the Congress state leadership in a spot, even though the ruling party is yet to cry foul.
Senior state Congress leader Pradip Bhattacharya said the demonstration is justified if it was against improper distribution of compensation money to the affected families: ?They are a frontal organisation, and don?t require any permission from the state committee,? he added.
As for another senior leader, Manash Bhunia, ?I won?t comment? seemed the only handy response. http://www.expressindia.com/latest-n...-roost/270996/
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[Treyfish]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

<table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="1004"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="1004"><tbody><tr><td><table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td width="30%">Saturday, 9 February 2008</td><td class="subtopnavigation" align="right" width="70%">TEHELKA INITIATIVES: </td></tr></tbody></table></td><td width="5">
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</td></tr></tbody></table><map name="Map"><area shape="RECT" coords="21,13,206,65" href="http://www.tehelka.com/"><area shape="RECT" target="_blank" coords="836,14,968,64" href="http://www.tehelkahindi.com/"></map></td></tr><tr><td><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="1004"><tbody><tr><td height="410" valign="top" width="5">
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</td><td valign="top" width="741"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td valign="top"><!-- START OF 16 Feb Includes--><script language="javascript">function addBookmark(title,url) { if ( window.sidebar ) { window.sidebar.addPanel(title, url,""); } else if( document.all ) { window.external.addFavorite( url, title); } else if( window.opera && window.print ) { return true; } } </script><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td><table dwcopytype="CopyTableCell" align="center" border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td align="right">From Tehelka Magazine, Vol 5, Issue 6, Dated Feb 16, 2008</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td bgcolor="#005e9c"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" height="25" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td width="584">BUSINESS & ECONOMY</td><td width="11">
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poultry

</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>The Chicken And Egg Puzzle
West Bengal will be chicken-less this week. But the scare of avian flu has doomed its Rs 800-crore poultry market, writes TUMPA MANDAL


TRUCKS LADEN with eggs from Andhra Pradesh have always been a heartwarming sight for Sanjeeb Bose and Kunal Dutta, two smalltime egg merchants who operated out of their store in South Kolkata. Today, that would be a nightmarish sight ? because they would have to be destroyed. Dutta and Bose are just two of West Bengal numerous egg merchants who have had to down shutters for over a week, incur huge losses and wonder what to do next as West Bengal reels under a severe invasion of avian flu which has spread to 13 of the state?s 19 districts and wreaked havoc in the state?s Rs 800-crore poultry market. In one horrific incident witnessed by Dutta, a week ago, local CPM cadre working under instructions from state authorities, destroyed 10 truckloads of eggs from Andhra Pradesh as part of the state government?s preventive measures.
Post carnage, a local woman asked a cadre: ?Are you telling me packed eggs from Andhra Pradesh, which have no linkages to the West Bengal bird flu, are dangerous for consumption?? He had no answer. In his non-committal attitude lies the crux of the crisis that has gripped West Bengal. Officially, an estimated 150,000 chicken contracted avian flu. The state government culled nearly 17 lakh chickens and is contemplating culling another 5 lakhs. The virus has affected around four percent (22 lakh birds) of the state?s poultry stocks and impacted 5 lakh across the 13 district unabated, across the state. ?The current losses are in the region of Rs 150 crore,? Dasgupta told TEHELKA.
Across the state, shops, restaurants and hotels have put up notices saying chicken meat, duck meat and egg products were not on offer, prompting West Bengal Poultry Owners Association director Prasun Roy to call it the biggest crisis faced by the industry. ?Nothing is working. Some ministers have urged people to consume poultry products but the rest have sent cadre to cull the birds. It is only causing confusion,? says Roy, wondering whether the state government will compensate those who suffered losses. ?It will be a Herculean task to recover the money.? Says a chef at the city?s Oberoi Grand Hotel: ?We are very, very careful. Chicken and egg are offered with a mandatory caution notice that is kept next to the table. ?
THE OUTBREAK is also taking a toll on the state?s poultry exports. Till last week, eight countries ? including Oman, Sri Lanka, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and the UAE ? have stopped import of poultry products from India. ?We have lost 60 percent of our business in the live chicken segment,? says Arambagh Hatcheries vice president Partha Sen. Madan Mohan Maity, chairman of the state unit of NECC, agrees: ?There will soon be a total crash of the wholesale market in the state.? Industry sources admit West Bengal is losing Rs 16.5 crore a day on account of the avian flu.
Soon, the crisis will impact exports from Andhra Pradesh, which produces 5 crore eggs and six lakh broiler chickens a day and is the country?s biggest supplier. ?Imagine the magnitude of losing the almost Rs 3 crore business from West Bengal,? says Maity as culling goes on unabated, across the state. But with most of the state gripped by fear, not helped by the fact that some poultry owners tried to smuggle chicken from affected districts to unaffected ones, spreading avian flu, no one seems ready to listen.
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From Tehelka Magazine, Vol 5, Issue 6, Dated Feb 16, 2008

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[Treyfish]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

State likely to lift poultry ban


By SUBRATA CHATTOPADHYAY
Kolkata, Feb. 8: With bird flu leading to a substantial impact on the backyard poultry products in West Bengal, the state government is contemplating to lift the ban imposed on the sale and movement of poultry products in the areas where the deadly H5N1 virus has been detected.
State animal resources development minister Anisur Rehman on Friday said, "As the unusual death of chickens has come down at almost zero-level, we may consider the demands of the poultry owners to revoke our decision of ban on business of chickens."
The state government will on February 15 start releasing one-time relief of Rs 500 to the affected people whose birds have been lost in the culling operation, the minister said, adding that the administration in the affected districts was preparing a comprehensive list of those families.
Later, Mr Rehman said, "Culling is almost over and we are now conducting mopping up operations which will be completed soon in the infected areas." More than 36 lakhs of poultry population in the state has been culled since the bird flu outbreak was first reported last month. He also said that tests of at least 28 people, including several veterinary staff with symptoms of influenza, had turned out to be negative for H5N1.
Meanwhile, vaccination drive began on Tuesday in Mathabhanga in Cooch Behar district, where six cows have died of anthrax. http://www.asianage.com/presentation...ultry-ban.aspx

[HenryN]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

Bird flu: Govt issues alert in east UP
Reports of illegal poultry imports from bird flu-affected districts of West Bengal prompted the decision
ARSHAD AFZAL KHAN
Posted online: Sunday, February 10, 2008 at 0006 hrs IST
Faizabad, February 9
Reports of illegal poultry imports from the bird flu-affected districts of West Bengal to the eastern part of Uttar Pradesh via Bihar has led to the Uttar Pradesh government to issue an alert here.

The state government has directed the rapid action teams of the Animal Husbandry Department to keep vigil in the area and immediately report if there are any unnatural poultry deaths, Chief Veterinary Officer, Faizabad, Dr Narendra Kumar told The Indian Express.

All the district officers in Faizabad and Devipatan divisions have been directed to maintain regular surveillance of all poultry imports from West Bengal.

According to experts, the smuggling of birds, including chickens, quails, partridges, starlings, can act as a ? carrier? of the bird flu virus.

Senior veterinary scientist Dr Raji Rai said after bird flu gripped certain districts of West Bengal, the big operators there started shifting their livestock to Bihar.

Since east UP shares a border with Bihar and is a big market of poultry, so they are filling the market with the smuggled birds from West Bengal, he added.

Rai said that the area has been officially declared a high-risk area for the disease.

Confirming the reports, Dr P C Diwedi, veterinary officer of Divisional Veterinary Laboratory, said the eventuality of bird flu hitting the state could not be denied if the smuggling of birds from West Bengal continues.

?We are collecting serums of chickens and other birds on regular basis and sending them to the regional disease diagnostic laboratory in Pune,? said Dr Diwedi.

http://www.indianexpress.com/printerFriendly/271130.html

[HenryN]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

Bird flu: Govt issues alert in east UP
Reports of illegal poultry imports from bird flu-affected districts of West Bengal prompted the decision
ARSHAD AFZAL KHAN
Posted online: Sunday, February 10, 2008 at 0006 hrs IST
Faizabad, February 9

According to experts, the smuggling of birds, including chickens, quails, partridges, starlings, can act as a ? carrier? of the bird flu virus.


http://www.indianexpress.com/printer...ly/271130.html

Sounds like its almost time for the other shoe to drop.

[Treyfish]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

<table class="formlayout" summary=""><tbody><tr><td align="right" nowrap="nowrap">Archive Number</td><td align="left" nowrap="nowrap">20080208.0518</td></tr><tr><td align="right" nowrap="nowrap">Published Date</td><td align="left" nowrap="nowrap">08-FEB-2008</td></tr><tr><td align="right" nowrap="nowrap">Subject</td><td align="left" nowrap="nowrap">PRO/AH> Undiagnosed deaths, caprine - India (03): (West Bengal), RFI</td></tr></tbody></table>

UNDIAGNOSED DEATHS, CAPRINE - INDIA (03): (WEST BENGAL), RFI*********************************************** *****

A ProMED-mail post<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of theInternational Society for Infectious Diseases<http://www.isid.org>[1]
Date: Thu 7 Feb 2008From: David E. Price [edited]<price16@llnl.gov>
Re: Undiagnosed deaths, caprine - India (02): (West Bengal), RFI 20080126.0329-------------------------------------------
The statement [in the above posting], which disputes that pigs have been shown to be infected by H5N1 HPAI is incorrect.
Published research by the USA's Agricultural Research Service's Exotic and Emerging Avian Viral Diseases Research Unit shows that, while it doesn't cause serious disease, H5N1 HPAI definitely can infect pigs.

"Groups of 4 animals were intranasally inoculated with 10 6 EID50 of A/Vietnam/1203/04 (VN/04) or A/Muscovy duck/ Vietnam/209/06 (Dk/VN/06) viruses.""Histological examination revealed lobular lymphocytic bronchopneumonia and focal alveolitis in the lungs of pigs infected with both H5N1 viruses. Conclusions. Pigs had limited susceptibility to infection with avian influenza H5N1 viruses."See Pathogenesis of avian influenza A (H5N1) viruses in pigs for details:<http://ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publications.htm?SEQ_NO_115=210959> [For subscribers' convenience, the abstract is copied and included in the commentary below. - Mod.AS]There are several other interesting research projects involving H5N1 and pigs documented on the site.--David E. Price, SRO, CHMMSenior Safety Analyst(Nuclear, Chemical, Biological, and Explosives Accident/Safety Analyses) Nonproliferation, Homeland and International Security (NHI) Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory<price16@llnl.gov>[We are grateful to Dr. Peter Roeder, the author of the observations in 'Undiagnosed deaths, caprine - India (02)' for promptly forwarding his following response to the above.]******[2]

Date: Fri 8 Feb 2008From: Peter Roeder<peter.roeder@taurusah.com>

I have no reason to doubt the validity of the observation even though I have only seen the abstract of the paper. I note from this that virus was detected in the upper respiratory tract of swine up to 5 days after they had been intranasally inoculated with an avian influenza virus of unstated origin; another isolate from a duck seems not to have replicated at all. I see no evidence of systemic infection and the pigs showed no signs of clinical disease; nor am I sure of the aetiological link between the lung lesions described in one pig and the avian influenza virus infection. Could it be that the observations relate to limited virus replication primarily on the mucosal surface of the upper respiratory tract? I would wish to see the full paper.What I should have stated explicitly was that I was referring to evidence of infection occurring in field situations not as a result of experimental infections conducted in laboratory conditions. I would expect that any number of species could be experimentally infected to variable degrees but that is a different issue. It is to me an enigma as to why natural transmission to, between and from swine does not seem to have occurred. If anyone has any data showing that it does occur, it would be very useful if this could be reported.--Dr Peter Roeder, BVetMed, MSc, PhD, MRCVS<peter.roeder@taurusah.com>

[For subscribers' convenience, see the mentioned abstract:"Lipatov, A.S., Kwon, Y., Lager, K.M., Suarez, D.L., Swayne, D.E. 2007.

Pathogenesis of avian influenza A (H5N1) viruses in pigs [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Research Conference on Orthomyxoviruses, September 21-24, 2007, Woods Hole, Massachusetts. p. 26.Background.Genetic reassortment of avian influenza H5N1 viruses with currently circulating human influenza A strains is one possibility that could lead to efficient human-to-human transmissibility. Domestic pigs which are susceptible to infection with both human and avian influenza A viruses are one of the natural hosts where such reassortment events could occur. To begin to study this possibility we characterized the pathogenesis of H5N1 influenza in a pig model.Methods.3-week-old male domestic pigs (PIC 1050's, a cross between a Land Race x Large White Cross) were used in the experiments. Groups of 4 animals were intranasally inoculated with 10 6 EID50 of A/Vietnam/1203/04 (VN/04) or A/Muscovy duck/ Vietnam/209/06 (Dk/VN/06) viruses. Pigs were observed daily and 2 pigs from each group were euthanized on day 5 and day 14 after virus inoculation to collect organ samples. Body weight of infected pigs was measured daily; nasal and rectal swabs for virus detection were collected on days 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11.Results.Inoculation of pigs with both H5N1 viruses did not result in disease with visible clinical signs or significant weight loss. VN/04 virus was detected in nasal swabs of inoculated pigs on days 1 (2 animals, titers 10 1.5 EID50 and 10 2.25 EID50/1.0 ml of collection fluid), 3 (1 pig, titer 10 2.25 EID50) and 5 (1 pig, titer 10 3.75 EID50). Dk/VN/06 virus was not detected in nasal or rectal swabs. VN/04 virus was not detected in any of organs samples collected on day 5. Dk/VN/06 virus was isolated from lungs of 1 pig (titer 10 5.75 EID50/g) and nasal turbinate of another animal (titer 10 2.5 EID50/g). Histological examination revealed lobular lymphocytic bronchopneumonia and focal alveolitis in the lungs of pigs infected with both H5N1 viruses.Conclusions.Pigs had limited susceptibility to infection with avian influenza H5N1 viruses. Inoculation of pigs with VN/04 and Dk/VN/06 viruses resulted in asymptomatic infection restricted only to the respiratory tract in contrast to mouse and ferrets animal models, where these viruses are highly pathogenic and replicate systemically."Our request for further information on the dead goats, particularly laboratory results of samples from the goats, is included again. - Mod.AS][see also:Undiagnosed deaths, caprine - India (02): (West Bengal), RFI 20080126.0329....................arn/ejp/dk

[Treyfish]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

Pawar tells states to lift curbs on poultry movement</ARTTITLE>
10 Feb 2008, 0251 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"> Save</TD><TD style="PADDING-LEFT: 20px; FONT-SIZE: 11px"> EMail</TD><TD style="PADDING-LEFT: 20px; FONT-SIZE: 11px"> Write to Editor</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: Lift the ban on import of poultry immediately. This is the gist of a strongly worded letter sent to all states recently by Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar.

The minister has taken strong exception to his home state of Maharashtra banning import of poultry, eggs and feed from across the country as a precautionary measure against bird flu. The ban also covered Andhra Pradesh which supplies Maharashtra over 40% of its poultry products. A similar move, that is being considered by states like Chhattisgarh, has worried the agriculture ministry which says such "over-reactions" will adversely hurt the country's poultry industry.

According to Pawar, the ban on movement and sale of poultry products has only been imposed on the 13 districts of West Bengal where the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu virus has been detected.

Animal husbandry secretary Pradeep Kumar told TOI: "The Centre has written to all the states other than West Bengal not to impose any restrictions on the inter-state movement of poultry and poultry products."

A ministry official said: "Pawar's letter has been sent to all chief secretaries. Maharashtra has been told to lift the ban with immediate effect. States contemplating similar action have been advised against it. There is really no threat from poultry in any other state. Such bans covering all states are unjust. Ban on import should only be on poultry from the affected areas."

The move has seriously affected the poultry industry in states like Orrisa, Assam, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar.
Maharashtra's animal husbandry minister Anees Ahmed had said the ban would be in effect till the Centre declares West Bengal as a bird flu-free state. "AP, which sends nearly 50 lakh eggs to Maharashtra every day, is the biggest sufferer of such a restriction," an official said.

Meanwhile, with no further reports from HSADL, Bhopal, of any sample testing positive from any part of Bengal, the state government is planning to review the ban imposed on the movement and sale of chicken and eggs from all across the state. Bengal's animal resources development minister Anisur Rahman said there would be review meeting on February 12 to see when the ban could be lifted. He, however, added that it would be lifted in consultation with the Centre on confirmation that mopping-up operations were complete.

Kumar, on his part, said: "We don't intend to lift poultry trade ban in Bengal very soon." According to Rahman, Bengal has incurred a loss of Rs 500 crore due to bird flu outbreak in the state since January 15. India has in the meantime has replenished its fast depleting reserve of oseltamavir ? the most effective drug to treat the H5N1 virus infection in humans.

The health ministry had written to pharma companies to supply fresh stocks of the drug as fast as possible. One company on Friday supplied the ministry 10 lakh doses of Tamiflu. Till Thursday, India's reserves had fallen to 45,000 doses.

Under the bird flu preparedness plan, the ministry had decided to stockpile 10 lakh capsules of oseltamivir at any given point of time. WHO has, however, stockpiled three million doses of Tamiflu http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/I...ow/2770366.cms

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[Treyfish]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

Dead birds in Raj Bhavan fuel flu scare

Kolkata, February 10, 2008


First Published: 01:12 IST(10/2/2008)
Last Updated: 01:24 IST(10/2/2008)


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<!--End of top module--><!--Start of the story-->Bengal's bird flu scare has the Raj Bhavan aflutter because two birds with no external injuries were found dead on its premises on Monday.
But like its tardy culling operations in the state, the animal resource development department has kept the governor's residence waiting for a report, five days after the dead birds were found.
Fed up with the lax approach, a senior official of the Raj Bhavan on Wednesday rang up the department's babus to ask what had been done to the samples. The department, realising then that the samples had come from the Raj Bhavan, immediately sent them to the Bhopal High Security Animal Disease Laboratory by air at a cost of Rs 35,000.
The Raj Bhavan contacted the animal resource department on Monday itself when the dead birds were found. Paramedics from the Belgachhia Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory rushed to Gopal Krishna Gandhi's official residence to collect the samples. The sample collection was done in 45 minutes and the Raj Bhavan told that it would soon be informed if the birds had died of avian influenza that has gripped the state.
But after the samples went to the laboratory, no tests were conducted for the next 24 hours. The preliminary tests are done at the Kolkata laboratory before being sent to Bhopal.
It was only after a senior official of the Raj Bhavan contacted the principal secretary Dilip Chakrabarty of the animal resource development department that the Kolkata laboratory stirred.
The samples finally went to Bhopal, but had the government acted fast, it could have sent these with a consignment of other samples that left for Bhopal early this week and saved the Rs 35,000 the state spent in sending them separately.
A senior official attached with the Kolkata laboratory said the samples tested negative for bird flu, a small relief to the Raj Bhavan, perhaps. http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryP...fuel+flu+scare

[Diane Morin]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

Treyfish

<TABLE cellSpacing=3 cellPadding=3 width=510 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=512></TD></TR><TR><TD width=512>Bengal govt to compensate 700,000 Bird flu affected families
Kolkata, Feb 9 (UNI) After the massive culling of chickens that took a heavy toll on the state's poultry farming, the West Bengal government braces up for compensating families affected by bird flu. As about 3.7 million birds had been killed to check the outbreak of avian flu, the number of families facing economic disaster, stood at a staggering 700,000. All these families used to depend on backyard farming for livelihood. '' Altogether 3.7 million chickens have been culled in 16 districts and about 700,000 families have been affected by it. Rs 100 crore will be needed to be disbursed as grant to these people,'' Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta today told newspersons. He said the state government had urged the Centre to bear 50 per cent of the total grant. Dr Dasgupta said the state government would start giving a one-time compensation of Rs 500 to each of the affected families from February 15. ''Chickens will be provided free of cost to the poorest families,'' he added. Following an initiave taken by the state government, banks agreed to disburse a loan of Rs 600 crore among the affected families to restart business, the minister said.
http://www.deepikaglobal.com/ENG3_su...newscode=13992</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

From Orissa state

Bird deaths cause alarm

Statesman News Service

BHAWANIPATNA, Feb. 10: Even as the state government dilly dallies over the culling of birds in a 5 km radius of neighbouring West Bengal, reports of deaths in a private poultry farm near Kesinga of Kalahandi district caused a flutter today.

Veterinarians rushed to the spot to collect blood samples while an experts' team is to arrive from Cuttack tomorrow.

Official sources , including KC Sasmal, chief district veterinary officer confirmed reports of bird deaths at a farm near Kesinga. "At least 55 birds have died over two days",he said.

Significantly, the poultry farmer Trinath Sahu has reportedly confided that he had purchased the birds from West Bengal during the second week of January. This has shocked many here because the government had not only warned against import of birds from the avian flu infected West Bengal but had also claimed that it had put in place a strict ban on such imports.

Mr Sasmal however insisted that one cannot jump to any conclusion on cause of death of the birds. "It could be due to any disease, unless we get reports of the blood samples sent for tests nothing can be said", he observed.Meanwhile a section of tribals in Mayurbhanj district and others have been protesting against the proposed move to cull birds in a 5 km radius of West Bengal.

The government has taken a decision to adhere to the center's directive in this regard but it has not implemented it as yet.Interestingly, the state government declared last week that it will go ahead with culling operations last week but district authorities have not taken up the task on the plea that they are yet to get firm directives from the government.

The quixotic situation has left everybody guessing and at least the birds happy. One such instance is to the enumeration of the number of birds in areas coming in the 5 km radius. The figures varied from five lakh to 1.41 lakh. District officers at Mayurbhanj confided that they were facing resistance even to the enumeration survey.

http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=9&theme=&usrsess=1&id=190092

[HenryN]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

Fresh chicken deaths in Nadia
Statesman News Service
KRISHNAGAR, Feb. 10: At a time when it was believed the state has succeeded to get rid of avian influenza after no unnatural deaths of chickens were reported over the past few days, fresh chicken deaths were reported today in Ranaghat-II block in Nadia.
According to reports, over 1,300 chickens died of a mysterious disease in different poultry farms in Ranaghat-II block in Nadia. The symptoms of the disease are similar to avian influenza. The district authorities sent a team to collect samples and take note of the situation.
Mr Onkar Singh Meena, Nadia district magistrate said, ?I came to know that fresh chicken deaths were reported in the district. I have sent a team to verify the situation. The team would enquire whether the symptoms of the disease are similar to bird flu.
The team will also look after the environment of the poultry farm.?
The deputy director of the district animal resource department, Mr Amalendu Saha said: ? We are yet to receive any such report but we will look into the matter. Proper precautionary measures will be initiated if the report is true.?
It can be recalled that the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus had wreaked havoc, mainly in the backyard poultry.
And that was the reason why the state government faced real trouble to stop the spread of the disease. If the disease is confirmed as bird flu, the organised sector could also suffer the heat.

http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=6&theme=&usrsess=1&id=190065

[HenryN]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/02100802/H5N1_Nadia_Suspect.html

[HenryN]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/02100803/H5N1_Orissa_Suspect.html

[Treyfish]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

<TABLE class=TableClas cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=heading>Poor hygiene makes the state vulnerable</TD></TR><TR><TD height=11></TD></TR><TR><TD class=author>Komal Amit Gera / New Delhi/ Chandigarh February 11, 2008</TD></TR><TR><TD height=4></TD></TR><TR><TD style="BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(/images/common/gn_005.gif); BACKGROUND-REPEAT: repeat-x"></TD></TR><TR><TD height=9></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=TableClas cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>The large poultry industry in Punjab appears vulnerable to the bird flu outbreak in a similar way as it began in West Bengal. Talking to reporters here last week, officials of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) said they had investigated the poultry farms in Ludhiana, Amritsar and Chandigarh in the past few months and found gross negligence on the part of poultry farmers towards the birds. </TD></TR><TR><TD height=5> </TD></TR><TR><TD>According to them, the investigation was part of surveys carried out across the states and union territories in the country, and the situation was alarming everywhere. ?Since the size of the poultry industry is large in Punjab, the scare of an outbreak was also large here,? a PETA official said. </TD></TR><TR><TD height=5> </TD></TR><TR><TD>He emphasised that the government should not pay any compensation from the tax payers? money to the poultry farms as the bird flu spreads when the hygiene standards are not maintained during raising the poultries. </TD></TR><TR><TD height=5> </TD></TR><TR><TD>He said that standards set by the BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) were not mandatory and the poultry farms were thriving on low-cost methods adopted to raise large number of birds in filthy conditions. </TD></TR><TR><TD height=5> </TD></TR><TR><TD>Antibiotics are routinely fed to healthy livestock and poultry to make them gain weight faster and to compensate for unsanitary living conditions, the official added. </TD></TR><TR><TD height=5> </TD></TR><TR><TD>According to him, PETA had filed a report with the state animal husbandry secretary in July 2007, but did not receive any communication from the concerned department. The state poultry industry, which is worth Rs 3,500 crore per annum, provides employment to more than 300,000 people. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

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