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

[sharon sanders]

Originally Posted by niman

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

I believe the documented China numbers were much higher a couple of years ago.

[Treyfish]

Caution, not panic, is the guideword
Arun Ram
Thursday, January 17, 2008 04:30 IST


CHENNAI: Scientists at the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL) in Bhopal are peering into the microscopes to ascertain if the H5N1 strain responsible for the bird flu outbreak in West Bengal poses any danger to humans.
Strains of the last two outbreaks — in Nandurbar, Maharashtra, in Feburary 2006 and Chingmeirong, Manipur, in July 2007 — though different, belonged to the HPAI (high pathogenic avian influenza) variety.
Scientists do not rule out the probability of the virus having mutated to a new strain, but with no human infection reported so far, caution, not panic, is the guideword.
“We have initiated genetic sequencing of the viral strain and only after the process is complete — in more than a week — we will be able to ascertain the pathogenicity of the strain. The strain we isolated from Manipur last year showed a tendency to adapt to (infect) humans, which is dangerous,” HSADL joint director AC Dubey told DNA.
While the 2006 strain in India was found similar to the one responsible for the outbreak in Vietnam and Thailand, the 2007 outbreak in Manipur saw the Qinghai strain, which can mutate to survive in the human nose.
Like in 2006, the outbreak this time coincides with the peak period of migratory birds in India. “Migratory birds are the prime suspects whenever there is an outbreak of bird flu. Though many of them do not suffer from the disease, they can be silent carriers of the virus. We are doing tests,” Dubey said. http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1145653

[Shannon]

We are now up to 400,000.

http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story...&IssueID=30303

400,000 birds culled in India

KOLKATA: Health officials in the eastern state of West Bengal yesterday began the slaughter of tens of thousands of chickens, a day after New Delhi confirmed an outbreak of the deadly avian flu in the region. "The culling of chickens has just started in the core areas like Margram where the disease was first detected," state animal resources minister Anisur Rahaman said. The state government has put together 55 rapid response teams to slaughter more than 400,000 chickens in the area. The agriculture ministry announced the cull after confirming poultry deaths due to the H5N1 strain last week. The state borders Bangladesh, where authorities have been struggling to contain an outbreak of the virus. New Delhi said 35,525 poultry in Birbhum district and 288 birds in Dinajpur district had died, but added the outbreak appeared to be localised. This is the third outbreak of the avian flu in India since 2006. l In Bangladesh, bird flu was yesterday reported in another district, Barishal in the south, forcing authorities to cull 1,531 birds.

[AlaskaDenise]

What causes me considerable concern, is that first this virus is wiping out a considerable portion of the protein supply, then it may provide considerable incentive for people to quarantine themselves in their homes - without a ready protein supply.

Kind of a viral "scorched earth" policy.

.

[AlaskaDenise]

Panic hits local market, prices drop

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]

FIRM MEASURES

There is no need to panic, but it is too early to relax. There is absolutely no alternative to fighting bird flu relentlessly. It has broken out in Birbhum and South Dinajpur, and although the virus has not mutated within humans (as it had in 1918, killing 40 million people all over the world), prompt action is the only way to prevent a disaster in a densely populated country like India. Almost 40,000 chickens have died over ten days, and from yesterday the culling of about 3.5 lakh country and broiler chickens, ducks and pet birds has begun. Apart from ensuring the thoroughness of this operation, the government will have to be alert on several fronts. Most of the affected poultry belong to poor rural and suburban families, where the birds mingle freely with human beings, especially children. The government must have a clear sense of how to keep poor and mostly illiterate people properly informed about what sort of precautions to take and what to look out for. What is needed is vigilance as well as sensitivity. To most people, the poultry they keep at home are precious sources of earning, and the flu itself, in spite of the dying birds, is less real than the threat of losing one’s livelihood (main or supplementary) for a few months. So, the compensation money for the culled birds must be properly distributed — without avarice, corruption or mismanagement. Basic habits of hygiene, like washing hands, burying dead birds properly and protecting children, should be instilled without delay, and proper channels of communication thought out for this using local networks and institutions. Ignorance and frayed nerves must be handled alike with care, but with firmness as well. Larger farms and hatcheries, no matter how privatized and state-of-the-art, should be kept within the purview of vigilance. An eye towards profit, or fear of losing custom, must not deter large-scale stakeholders from following stringent regulations. There must also not be any suppression of information, however alarming. The movement of poultry and the patrolling of the border, though easier said than done, should certainly be a priority. Given the regularity with which bird flu breaks out in India, most of the preventive measures should become a matter of habit among poultry-owners rather than being perceived and practised as emergency measures. .

[AlaskaDenise]

Bird deaths not caused by bird flu, but by a virus locally known as Ranikhet ???
--------------------------------------------
New bird deaths reported in east India

CALCUTTA, India - Health officials Thursday investigated new bird deaths in eastern India to check whether bird flu was spreading to additional areas despite a poultry cull aimed at curbing the disease.

Hundreds of bird deaths were reported in four new districts of West Bengal state on Wednesday 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 by a virus locally known as Ranikhet — a contagious and fatal disease affecting all species of birds but with no record of attacking humans.

"But we are not taking chances and have sent samples to laboratories for testing for bird flu," he told The Associated Press.

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

The culling of chickens started on Wednesday, a day after the federal government confirmed that the birds in two West Bengal districts were infected with the H5 strain of bird flu, and tests were under way to determine whether it was the virulent H5N1 subtype.

No human deaths or unusual illnesses have been reported in the region, Rahman said Thursday.

About 400,000 chickens were being slaughtered the affected areas. Health workers were also going door-to-door in the areas looking for people with high fevers or breathing trouble.

An outbreak of the H5N1 virus hit western India in 2006, but India declared the country bird flu-free after slaughtering hundreds of thousands of chickens. No human cases were reported. A smaller outbreak in northeastern India was contained last year.

The H5N1 virus has afflicted more than 60 countries, forcing the slaughter of hundreds of millions of birds since it began ravaging Asian poultry stocks in late 2003.

It is now entrenched in several countries, including Indonesia, Egypt and Nigeria, and has killed at least 206 people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.

The virus remains hard for people to catch, but experts fear it may mutate into a form that spreads easily among humans, potentially sparking a pandemic. So far, most human cases have been linked to contact with infected birds.


Villagers bring in their birds for culling in Pathna village, Margram, in the Indian state of West Bengal, Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2008. Health workers slaughtered tens of thousands of chickens Wednesday after an outbreak of bird flu killed more than 35,000 birds in eastern India, officials said. (AP Photo)

[Dutchy]

Ranikhet is Newcastle Disease.

[AlaskaDenise]

WHO: Bird Flu crisis very serious

1/17/2008 12:19:40 PM

A WB government designated official culls private poultry stock in Margram, Bibhum district

The World Health Organisation or WHO has warned that India has big trouble on its hands - hinting that the Bird Flu outbreak could perhaps be one of the worst ever, more severe than previously encountered.

A WHO statement released today (January 17) reads:

"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."


Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar meanwhile has said today that an alert has been sounded not only in West Bengal but across the country.
"We have taken strong measures to counter the Bird Flu threat from the Bangladesh border. We have passed on all information to the West Bengal government and sounded a countrywide alert. International guidelines are being followed in the culling operations in West Bengal," said Pawar.

The statement comes after the Centre, facing a crisis and coming under harsh criticism for its handling of the outbreak, began a blame game yesterday alleging that the state government had pressed the alarm button at least a week after it received information about abnormal poultry deaths in the state.

TIMES NOW has been told that the WB government sat quiet for a week in willfull controvention of rules which state that the Centre must be informed about unexplained and largescale bird deaths within 24 hours.

The West Bengal government reported the fact that chickens were dying in Birbhum and South Dinajpur districts of the state on January 11, whereas the first report of the deaths came to state health officials on January 4. Timeyl action could thus not be taken to limit the outbreak which may have already spread to neighbouring districts like Hoogly, South 24 Paraganas and Murshidabad.

.

[Dutchy]

Originally Posted by Dutchy

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

# 9 Bardhaman / Burdwan

[HenryN]

Originally Posted by Florida1

I believe the documented China numbers were much higher a couple of years ago.

The outbreaks in West Bengal are primarily "bakyard poultry" and therefore instead of 35,000 birds coming from one farm, they come from more than 100 villages. 100 villages with H5N1 developing over a short period (1-2 weeks) is H5N1 "out of control".

[HenryN]

India and Bangladesh try to contain bird flu outbreak as new deaths reported



2008-01-17 10:52:05 -


CALCUTTA, India (AP) - India and Bangladesh searched for new cases of bird flu Thursday as authorities pressed ahead with plans to slaughter hundreds of thousands of birds in a bid to keep the outbreak from spreading, officials said.
No human cases have been reported since the latest outbreak of bird flu was first discovered earlier this week. But nearly 56,000 birds have died from the disease in eastern India, where authorities have began slaughtering another 400,000 animals, most of them chickens. In Bangladesh, officials say about 20 birds have died and another 1,700 have been slaughtered.
Bangladeshi authorities say the outbreak in that country, which has so far been limited to a single poultry farm, is the H5N1 strain of the disease. In India, where the outbreak is more widespread, authorities say they are still conducting tests to determine what strain of bird flu killed the animals.
The outbreaks are in adjacent areas of the neighboring countries.
There was also uncertainty in India on Thursday about an undetermined number of new bird deaths in areas near the center of the outbreak in a rural region in the southwestern part of India's West Bengal state. Bangladeshi authorities were also searching for other cases of bird deaths.
While bird flu seemed to be the obvious culprit in the new deaths in West Bengal, the state's animal husbandry minister, Anisur Rahman, cautioned the symptoms indicated Newcastle disease, known locally as Ranikhet, a fatal respiratory virus that is not known to attack humans.
«But we are not taking chances and have sent samples to laboratories for testing for bird flu,» he told The Associated Press.
Apart from slaughtering birds in areas where bird flu has been confirmed, health workers were also going door-to-door, looking for people with high fevers or breathing trouble, he said.
An outbreak of the H5N1 virus hit western India in 2006, but India declared the country bird flu-free after slaughtering hundreds of thousands of chickens. No human cases were reported. A smaller outbreak in northeastern India was contained last year.
Bird flu was first detected in Bangladesh in February 2007 at a poultry farm near the capital. Since then, authorities have slaughtered more than 300,000 chickens _ including 19,000 killed during another outbreak earlier this month _ at about 90 farms across the country. Nearly 360,000 eggs have been destroyed.
Bird flu has killed at least 217 people worldwide since it began ravaging Asian poultry stocks in late 2003. It remains hard for people to catch, but experts fear it will mutate into a form that spreads easily among humans, potentially sparking a pandemic. So far, most human cases have been linked to contact with infected birds.


http://www.pr-inside.com/print391155.htm

[HenryN]

From rxpgnews.com Medical News Culling operations halted in bird flu epicentre By IANS, Jan 17, 2008 - 10:49:34 AM Kolkata, Jan 17 - Culling of poultry at the epicentre of West Bengal's bird flu epidemic was halted Thursday morning, as officials sent dead poultry from a new area to confirm if these had also been infected by the deadly H5N1 strain of the flu virus. Workers of the state health department halted the cull after one of them alleged that policemen had assaulted him in Rampurhat area of Birbhum district, a local television channel reported. Even before this incident in the middle of a situation where experts say quick culling is essential to prevent spread of the disease, the cull had been slothful. West Bengal Animal Resources Development Minister Anisur Rahman told IANS Thursday morning that 8,000 birds had been culled in Birbhum district since the operation started Wednesday, and 10,000 in Balurghat area of South Dinajpur district. 'The process is slothful because the teams are not going to big farms but visiting house to house and killing backyard poultry. We are beefing up the operation on Thursday,' Rahman added. The minister admitted that bird flu has spread to new areas in Birbhum district and adjoining Murshidabad district. The three districts now affected are Birbhum, South Dinajpur and Murshidabad. 'The new areas are Khargram in Murshidabad and two blocks and Rampurhat municipality area of Birbhum,' Rahman said. The officials have however not yet confirmed if the bird flu virus in Murshidabad is of the H5N1 strain. They have sent samples to the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory - in Bhopal for confirmation. As a result, no culling has started in Murshidabad district yet. The affected areas in the district abut Birbhum district. A bird flu scare has also spread to South 24 Parganas district adjoining Kolkata besides other south Bengal districts like Nadia and Burdwan from where reports of poultry deaths poured in. Culling began Wednesday morning for killing an estimated 378,000 chickens and ducks while the state's poultry owners urged people not to panic but to treat chickens as complete untouchables. According to the magistrates of Birbhum and South Dinajpur districts, the toll of poultry birds from the disease in the two districts rose to 55,000 in the past two weeks. To carry out the culling, masked men in protective gear appeared like aliens in many areas where awareness about the disease is almost nil. 'We have cooked and eaten our chickens because we heard they would have been killed by the government officials anyway. We have not heard much about the symptoms of the disease,' said Lakhu Sheikh of Tentulia village in Rampurhat block 2 in Birbhum, about 250 km from Kolkata. Tentulia is one of the villages where people resisted culling Wednesday. Many villagers are also smuggling out their poultry and hiding them, health workers said. A central health ministry team, including its additional director general and the joint secretary, is arriving in Kolkata later Thursday to ascertain the situation and hold talks with the state health officials, Rahman said. While in some villages there is resistance, in most areas people brought hens, ducks and eggs and collected compensation slips at the rate of Rs.40 per big hen and duck and Rs.30 each for the smaller ones. Officials said in the worst affected Birbhum district, about 55 awareness teams were formed to both inform the people about bird flu and identify the sick birds. Control rooms have been set up in each block of the affected regions under the supervision of Additional Chief Secretary of West Bengal Kalyan Bagchi and Animal Resource Development Director Dilip Das. The border with Bangladesh has been sealed in the affected areas, especially in South Dinajpur district, which shares a long border with the neighbouring country. As the news about the deadly avian flu spread, prices and demand for chickens nose-dived in Kolkata markets. West Bengal Poultry Welfare Association assistant secretary Najrul Islam told IANS that poultry farm owners would hold a press conference with the animal resources development minister to make the people aware and dispel unfounded apprehensions. 'We are also taking care so that the infection does not spread any further. We are also providing medication and trying to disinfect the poultry farms,' Islam said. West Bengal is the fifth state in the country to have been struck by the H5N1 strain of bird flu since the first outbreak in Maharashtra in February 2006, and others in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Manipur. In Nandurbar district of Maharashtra, about a million birds had to be culled in 2006 after the presence of the H5N1 virus was confirmed. The virus causes a type of influenza in birds that is highly contagious and can be deadly. It does not usually infect people unless they come in close contact with infected birds or contaminated surfaces. Avian influenza experts said speed in extinguishing the outbreak is crucial. The state government would need to prevent the movement of poultry out of the affected area, they stressed. The World Health Organisation - had last year declared India 'free from bird flu' after the culling of a large number of birds and other preventive measures. http://www.rxpgnews.com/medicalnews/..._printer.shtml

[HenryN]

WHO warning over Indian bird flu outbreak
12 minutes ago


The World Health Organisation Thursday warned that an outbreak of bird flu in eastern India was far more serious than two previous outbreaks, as officials reported more poultry deaths.
"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 organisation said.
The warning came as Anisur Rahaman, animal resources minister in West Bengal state, where the outbreak was reported, said the virus had spread to settlements around the village where the first poultry deaths came to light.
"Reports have reached (us) that hens have started dropping dead in several villages surrounding Margram. We are worried over the situation. We have sought more help from the federal government," Rahaman told AFP.
Health officials are engaged in culling 400,000 birds in several districts of India's heavily populated West Bengal state bordering Bangladesh, which is also struggling with the virus.
The slaughter started after India's agriculture ministry confirmed that the death of an estimated 35,000 birds in West Bengal was due to the deadly H5N1 strain.
About 8,000 birds were killed Wednesday, the first day of the cull, Rahaman said, adding officials were facing resistance from bird owners.
"We have asked health workers to step up culling.... The government has a target to cull 350,000 chickens in the next 10 days," he added.
Meanwhile, Pradip Roy, a railway employee working at Birbhum station near Margram said villagers were crowding local markets "to buy chickens at low prices."
"A good number of chickens are also being smuggled out," Roy added.
In New Delhi, officials said advisories had been sent to states neighbouring West Bengal in a bid to contain any possible spread. Flights originating from Kolkata had taken chicken off their menus.
An isolation centre has been opened in a hospital near the affected area and 300 health workers have been sent with medicines and protective gear, Rahaman said.
The outbreak is the third in India, home to 1.1 billion people, since 2006.
Humans are typically infected by coming into direct contact with infected poultry, but experts fear the deadly virus may mutate into a form easily transmissible between humans.
Wild migratory birds have been blamed for the global spread of the disease, which has killed more than 200 people worldwide since 2003.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080117...nxKZH88njuOrgF

[HenryN]

Culling of chickens continues in West Bengal
Culling of chickens in bird flu-hit areas of Birbhum and Dakshin Dinajpur district continued for the second day on Thursday.
Some of the teams set up by the state animal husbandry department would visit villages in Rampurhat I and II blocks of Birbhum district again as the number of birds culled yesterday was small, official sources said in Suri.
Other teams would visit the villages in Nalhati I and II and Mayureswar I blocks and parts of Nalhati municipal area.
In Dakshin Dinajpur, officials had culled about 2000 chickens at a government poultry farm at district headquarter town Balurghat on Wednesday.
Birds reared in private poultry farms of Balurghat would be culled today, official sources said in Balurghat.


http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print.aspx?Id=8557b3f4-756e-4115-a97a-d72ecd77b0f3

[Dutchy]

Another report saying bird flu is spreading to other districts

- snip -

The bird flu scare has also spread to South 24 Parganas district adjoining Kolkata besides other south Bengal districts like Hooghly, Nadia and Burdwan from where reports of poultry deaths are pouring in.


http://www.newkerala.com/one.php?act...lnews&id=13747

[HenryN]

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/01...5N1_Nadia.html

[HenryN]

Thousands of poultry culled in Bengal, new areas infected
Culling of poultry continued for the second day on Thursday in West Bengal amid reports of the deadly avian flu surfacing in new areas. Health workers affiliated to the ruling Marxists halted the culling operations for a while over a tiff with the police.
Officials have sent dead poultry from a new area in the worst-hit Birbhum district and adjoining villages in Murshidabad district to confirm if these had been infected with the deadly H5N1 strain of the flu virus.
"The new areas are Khargram in Murshidabad and two blocks and Rampurhat municipality area of Birbhum," West Bengal Animal Resources Development Minister Anisur Rahman told IANS.
The culling was halted for some time at Margram, the worst hit area, after government health workers, affiliated to a ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) employees' union, alleged that policemen had assaulted one of their leaders, a local television channel reported.
Later Birbhum superintendent of police K.L. Meena told IANS that the agitation had been withdrawn and culling resumed.
"The dispute has been resolved and the health workers have joined work," he said.
Anisur Rahman told IANS Thursday morning that 8,000 birds had been culled in Birbhum district since the operation started Wednesday, and 10,000 in Balurghat area of South Dinajpur district.
"The process is sluggish because the teams are not going to big farms but visiting homes and killing backyard poultry. We are beefing up the operation today," Rahman added.
The three districts now affected are Birbhum, South Dinajpur and Murshidabad.
However, officials have not yet confirmed if the virus in Murshidabad is of the H5N1 strain. They have sent samples to the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL) in Bhopal for confirmation.
As a result, no culling has started in Murshidabad yet. The affected areas in the district adjoin Birbhum.
The bird flu scare has also spread to South 24 Parganas district adjoining Kolkata besides other south Bengal districts like Hooghly, Nadia and Burdwan from where reports of poultry deaths are pouring in.
Culling began Wednesday morning for an estimated 378,000 chickens and ducks as the state's poultry owners urged people not to panic but to treat chickens as complete untouchables.
According to the magistrates of Birbhum and South Dinajpur, the toll of poultry birds from the disease in the two districts rose to 55,000 in the past two weeks.
To carry out the culling, masked men in protective gear appeared like aliens in many areas where awareness about the disease is almost nil.
"We have cooked and eaten our chickens because we heard they would have been killed by the government officials anyway. We have not heard much about the symptoms of the disease," said Lakhu Sheikh of Tentulia village in Rampurhat Block 2 in Birbhum, about 250 km from Kolkata.
Tentulia is one of the villages where people resisted culling Wednesday.
Many villagers are also smuggling out their poultry and hiding them, health workers said.
A central health ministry team, including its additional director general and the joint secretary, is arriving in Kolkata to assess the situation and hold talks with the state health officials, Rahman said.
While in some villages there is resistance, in most areas people brought hens, ducks and eggs and collected compensation slips at the rate of Rs.40 per big hen and duck and Rs.30 each for the smaller ones.
Officials said in Birbhum, about 55 awareness teams were formed to inform people about bird flu and identify sick birds.
Control rooms have been set up in each block of the affected regions under the supervision of the Additional Chief Secretary of West Bengal Kalyan Bagchi and Animal Resource Development Director Dilip Das.
The border with Bangladesh has been sealed in the affected areas, especially in South Dinajpur, which shares a long border with the neighbouring country.
As the news about the deadly avian flu spread, the demand and prices for chickens nose-dived in Kolkata markets.
West Bengal Poultry Welfare Association assistant secretary Najrul Islam told IANS that poultry farm owners would hold a press conference with the animal resources development minister to dispel unfounded apprehensions about the virus.
"We are also taking care so that the infection does not spread any further. We are providing medication and trying to disinfect the poultry farms," Islam said.
West Bengal is the fifth state in the country to have been struck by the H5N1 strain of bird flu since the first outbreak in Maharashtra in February 2006, and in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Manipur.
In Nandurbar district of Maharashtra, about a million birds had to be culled in 2006 after the presence of the H5N1 virus was confirmed.
The virus causes a type of influenza in birds that is highly contagious and can be deadly. It does not usually infect people unless they come in close contact with infected birds or contaminated surfaces.
Avian influenza experts say speed in extinguishing the outbreak is crucial. The state government would need to prevent the movement of poultry out of the affected area, they stressed.


http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print.aspx?Id=ede76424-9695-4f90-a966-c1705b50d2d0

[Dutchy]

Press release Ministry of Agriculture

BIRD FLU SITUATION BEING CLOSELY MONITORED

58 RAPID RESPONSE TEAMS IN BIRBHUM, 26 IN DAKSHIN KINAJPUR CARRY OUT CULLING OPERATIONS

As per latest information received, a total mortality of 61,075 poultry birds has been reported from Birbhum, Dakshin Dinajpur and Murshidabad districts of West Bengal.

Fresh cases of mortality have also been reported from the Khargram and Burwan blocks of Murshidabad district, which are adjoining the affected areas of the Birbhum district. Similalry, a fresh mortality of 347 poultry birds has also happened in the Gangarampur block in the Dakshin Dinajpur district.

As per telephonic message received from the Govt. of West Bengal today, there are reports of unusual mortality in Terhatta block of Nadia district, Kalna block of Bardhaman district and Baruipur village of South-24 Pargana district.

Except for a mortality of 40 poultry birds reports from the Baruipur village, figures in respect of the other two blocks are not yet available. These deaths are being investigated by the State. Action is also being taken to collect samples and take them to the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory, Bhopal.

Active surveillance is being undertaken in the affected areas of West Bengal.

A total of 58 Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) are carrying out culling operations in the Birbhum district and 26 RRTs in the Dakshin Dinajpur district. In these operations, a total of 11225 poultry birds were culled and 5877 number of eggs and 1218 kg. of poultry feed destroyed.

Samples collected from the Murshidabad district and further samples collected from various affected blocks of the Birbhum district have been sent to the HSADL, Bhopal.

The State Government has been requested to ensure effective functioning of the culling teams and payment of compensation on-the-spot.

Animal Husbandry Commissioner, who is the Chief Veterinary Officer of the Government of India is also being sent to the affected areas to assess the situation.

The situation is monitored at the top levels in Government of India on a daily basis. Centre has assured all assistance to the State in terms of expertise, equipment and funds.

http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=34717

[Shannon]

http://www.medindia.com/news/WHO-Ter...us-31945-1.htm

WHO Term Current Bird Flu Outbreak in India as 'Very Serious'

The World Health Organisation Thursday warned that an outbreak of bird flu in eastern India was far more serious than two previous outbreaks, as officials reported more poultry deaths.

"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 organisation said.

The warning came as Anisur Rahaman, animal resources minister in West Bengal state, where the outbreak was reported, said the virus had spread to settlements around the village where the first poultry deaths came to light.

"Reports have reached (us) that hens have started dropping dead in several villages surrounding Margram. We are worried over the situation. We have sought more help from the federal government," Rahaman told AFP.

Health officials are engaged in culling 400,000 birds in several districts of India's heavily populated West Bengal state bordering Bangladesh, which is also struggling with the virus.

The slaughter started after India's agriculture ministry confirmed that the death of an estimated 35,000 birds in West Bengal was due to the deadly H5N1 strain.

About 8,000 birds were killed Wednesday, the first day of the cull, Rahaman said, adding officials were facing resistance from bird owners.

"We have asked health workers to step up culling.... The government has a target to cull 350,000 chickens in the next 10 days," he added.

Meanwhile, Pradip Roy, a railway employee working at Birbhum station near Margram said villagers were crowding local markets "to buy chickens at low prices."

"A good number of chickens are also being smuggled out," Roy added.

In New Delhi, officials said advisories had been sent to states neighbouring West Bengal in a bid to contain any possible spread. Flights originating from Kolkata had taken chicken off their menus.

An isolation centre has been opened in a hospital near the affected area and 300 health workers have been sent with medicines and protective gear, Rahaman said.

The outbreak is the third in India, home to 1.1 billion people, since 2006.

Humans are typically infected by coming into direct contact with infected poultry, but experts fear the deadly virus may mutate into a form easily transmissible between humans.

Wild migratory birds have been blamed for the global spread of the disease, which has killed more than 200 people worldwide since 2003.

Source-AFP

[HenryN]

Thursday January 17, 2008
Hundreds of birds die even as health workers try to contain bird flu in eastern India


by The Associated Press


CALCUTTA, India - Health officials Thursday investigated new bird deaths in eastern India to check whether bird flu was spreading to additional areas despite a poultry cull aimed at curbing the disease.
Hundreds of bird deaths were reported in four new districts of West Bengal state on Wednesday 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 by a virus locally known as Ranikhet -- a contagious and fatal disease affecting all species of birds but with no record of attacking humans.
"But we are not taking chances and have sent samples to laboratories for testing for bird flu,'' he told The Associated Press.
The new areas under watch are in Nadia, Murshidabad, Burdwan and South 24 Parganas districts of West Bengal state, Rahman said.
The culling of chickens started on Wednesday, a day after the federal government confirmed that the birds in two West Bengal districts were infected with the H5 strain of bird flu, and tests were under way to determine whether it was the virulent H5N1 subtype.
No human deaths or unusual illnesses have been reported in the region, Rahman said Thursday.
About 400,000 chickens were being slaughtered the affected areas. Health workers were also going door-to-door in the areas looking for people with high fevers or breathing trouble.
An outbreak of the H5N1 virus hit western India in 2006, but India declared the country bird flu-free after slaughtering hundreds of thousands of chickens. No human cases were reported. A smaller outbreak in northeastern India was contained last year.
The H5N1 virus has afflicted more than 60 countries, forcing the slaughter of hundreds of millions of birds since it began ravaging Asian poultry stocks in late 2003.
It is now entrenched in several countries, including Indonesia, Egypt and Nigeria, and has killed at least 206 people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.
The virus remains hard for people to catch, but experts fear it may mutate into a form that spreads easily among humans, potentially sparking a pandemic. So far, most human cases have been linked to contact with infected birds.
http://www.dailymail.com/News/Nation...d/200801170747

[HenryN]

Culling to be extended to more areas


Special Correspondent

Three more districts report bird deaths but no symptoms of avian flu: Minister

— PHOTO: AP

No escape: A boy displays chicks held in a fishing net as he prepares to hand over them for culling in Batul village, Margram, in West Bengal on Thursday. India and Bangladesh searched for new cases of bird flu as authorities pressed ahead with plans to slaughter hundreds of thousands of birds in a bid to keep the outbreak from spreading.
KOLKATA: With reports of poultry birds dying in fresh areas, the West Bengal government has decided to extend culling operations in areas in Murshidabad district rather than wait for a Central notification, Anisur Rahaman, Minister for Animal Resources Development, told The Hindu here on Thursday.
There were also reports of poultry bird deaths from Burdwan, South 24 Parganas and Nadia districts but symptoms of avian flu had not been found, he added.
The pace of culling operations picked up significantly after initial delays attributed to the reluctance of local people to hand over their chickens to the authorities. They were being convinced of the need to cull the birds because of health risks from infection and were assured that financial compensation will be provided to them at the earliest.
Mr Rahaman said that in view of reports of an increase in the number of deaths of poultry birds over the past day the number of chickens to be culled could well surpass the earlier estimate of nearly four lakhs.
Personnel of the Health department attired in special gear fanned out in the affected blocks to carry out culling operations expected to continue for some days to come.
The virus has not infected humans and there is no cause for panic, an official of a high-level team of the Union Health Ministry, said. Members of the team reviewed the situation with State officials, called for the “highest possible alert” and added that “things were moving at the desired pace”.
The sale of chicken and eggs has started dipping in markets across the State as news of the avian flu outbreak spread. Prices have dropped too. The city’s civic authorities sent teams to the different markets for an inspection of the health of chickens on sale there. The authorities concerned have stopped supplying chicken in aircraft and trains leaving the city.
Mr. Rahaman discounted reports of any delay on the part of the local authorities to report the developments in the affected areas. Immediate steps had been taken to spread awareness in the affected areas of the need to isolate and put to death chickens in backyard farms that fell within a radius of between three and five km from where the deaths of thousands of birds had been reported over the past few days.
The State’s Wild Life authorities have been put on the alert and instructed to report on any unusual death of birds.
There were reports from parts of Birbhum district of some crows being found dead.
A general alert across the State is in place and strictures have been imposed on the movement of any poultry bird or product across its border with Bangladesh.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/18/stor...1857361200.htm

[HenryN]

Bird flu spreads further, many villagers resist cull


By OUR CORRESPONDENTS
Kolkata/Murshidabad/Na-dia, Jan. 17: While the West Bengal government struggled to cull nearly 400,000 birds in avian flu-affected pockets of Birbhum and South Dinajpur districts, the disease spread to fresh areas.
Reports of chickens and ducks dying also poured in from Burdwan, Nadia and South 24 Parganas although the state government has not confirmed bird flu in these districts. A high-level Union health ministry delegation has already arrived in Kolkata while the commissioner of the Central livestock department, Mr S.K. Banerjee, is arriving on Friday. He will hold meetings with West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and other state ministers and officials to review the situation.
The "rapid response teams" of veterinary workers that fanned out to the affected villages faced resistance in several places in Birbhum district. Many poultry owners were reluctant to hand over their chickens for culling, maintaining that they were not infected. Besides, going from door to door collecting the birds also took time. The government has decided to cull nearly 400,000 birds in Birbhum and South Dinajpur districts.
Although the administration claimed that over 25,000 birds had been culled, sources said that less than half of the number had in reality been culled. The government has announced compensation for each bird culled, but the villagers demanded cash instead of receipts that the government officials were handing them. The officials found it hard to convince many villagers that they would receive compensation on the basis of these receipts.
The state government rejected the charge that there was a delay in informing the Centre about the outbreak of the disease. "It is absolutely baseless that we delayed intimating the Union health ministry," state animal resources development minister Anisur Rahman said. He acknowledged that bird flu had spread to KIirnahar in Birbhum and Khargam in Murshidabad districts in the past 24 hours.
A high-level delegation of the Central health and family welfare ministry held an emergency meeting with state health department officials, district magistrates of the affected districts and BSF officers at Sastha Bhavan at Salt Lake in Kolkata. The leader of the Central delegation, Mr P. Krishnan, said that copies of "a precise and fixed protocol" to combat bird flu was handed over to the officials concerned.
After the meeting, Mr Krishnan said there was no need for panic. "But there is a need to be alert," he added. Mr Krishnan said state and Central officials were fully geared to tackle the situation. The ground reality in Birbhum told a different story.
On Thursday more than 3,000 chickens died in Murshidabad. The affected areas are Padam Kandi, Kirtipur, Jaypur, Jhilli and Margram in Khargram block. Surprisingly, several crows also reportedly dropped dead in Berhampore. Sources said more than 25 crows died in Khagra crematorium area in Berampore in the last two days and that samples had been sent for tests. The price of chicken dropped to Rs 40 a kg although district magistrate Subir Bhadra said the situation was under control.
Although the state government is yet to confirm that the mysterious death of nearly 5,000 chickens in Tehatta, in Nadia district, was caused by bird flu, fresh reports of deaths of chickens from other parts of the district have strengthened the bird flu scare in the district.
On Thursday, a team of state livestock officials rushed to Panditnagar, Krishnachandrapur and adjacent villages under Dhubulia block following the deaths of about 1,000 chickens. The district administration confirmed reports of chicken deaths from areas under Tehatta-I, Tehatta-II, Krishnanagar-II and Chhapra blocks.
Dr Amalendu Saha, the deputy-director, state livestock department, Nadia, said, "We have collected blood samples and sent it to IDDL in Belgachia for testing." Blood samples will later be sent to HSADL in Bhopal for "N-typing" to determine the strain.
Although there is no official "notification" about the deadly disease, the Nadia administration has taken all sorts of precaution and has launched extensive awareness campaigns.
Meanwhile, no chicken items were served on board flights leaving Kolkata airport on Thursday with all airline companies operating from the city airport offering mutton for the time being.

http://www.asianage.com/presentation...sist-cull.aspx

[HenryN]

Nadia blocks

http://jsk.gov.in/wb/wb_nadia.pdf

[HenryN]

Murshidabad blocks

http://murshidabad.gov.in/maps.htm

[Dutchy]

Bengal pays for not paying dues

18 Jan 2008,


NEW DELHI: West Bengal has compounded its earlier folly of not informing the Centre in time of the unusual mortality of birds by not paying compensation to poultry owners, whose birds are presently being culled.

The animal husbandry department was officially informed on Thursday by its officers touring the state that farmers were just being promised compensation but were not being paid.

Highly placed sources told TOI that the department wrote a letter to the state government on Thursday asking them to compensate farmers as soon as their birds are culled.

The rate finalized stands at Rs 40 per egg-laying adult chicken, Rs 30 for those used for meat and Rs 10 per chick. A compensation package of Rs 1 crore has already been sanctioned for Birbhum and Rs 25 lakh for South Dinajpur.

"The speed of culling has been seriously affected by this. Because compensation is not being given, farmers aren’t letting their poultry to be culled. In the last two days, we have culled around 35,000 birds whereas our target is to cull over 4 lakh birds in one week. We can’t achieve this target if the state does not compensate farmers fairly," sources said.

Ironically, top health and veterinary scientists, policy-makers and ministers from 105 nations and 20 international and intergovernmental organizations, who had recently attended the International Ministerial Conference on Avian and Pandemic Influenza in Delhi in December, had applauded India’s "swift, fair and efficient disbursement of compensation to poultry owners" hit by bird flu in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Manipur in 2006 and 2007. This, they said, had actually helped the country contain the outbreak without mass animal casualties or a single case of human infection.

Peter Harrold, World Bank’s director of avian and human pandemic influenza overall operational response team, had told TOI that compensation was most vital during a bird flu outbreak. "Farmers have to feel they are getting a fair price. Or else they will hide their poultry and bird flu can go undetected. They may even resort to clandestinely selling the infected animals," he added.

Health minister A Ramadoss had said, "Our national action plan for preparedness, control and containment of avian influenza recognizes that culling of affected birds will succeed only if poultry farmers are adequately compensated immediately after an outbreak is confirmed."

David Nabbaro, senior UN system influenza coordinator, said, "India’s philosophy to compensate quickly and fairly at the district level is commendable. That’s why farmers came out in the open and declared when their birds died in the past two outbreaks."

Meanwhile, the present outbreak of Avian Influenza in West Bengal seems to be more serious and threatening that the two previous outbreaks in Maharashtra and Manipur.

Admitting this, the Centre and WHO on Thursday said more serious risk factors are associated with this current outbreak than previously encountered, including that the affected areas are more widespread. Officials say ground zero’s proximity to extended border areas makes it even more threatening.

Officials have started to fear that West Bengal’s initial laid back attitude towards poultry deaths and late reporting to the Centre may have led to the virus spreading. Birds have started to drop dead in new districts like Nadia, Murshidabad, Burdwan and South 24 Parganas. Samples have been collected and are presently being tested for H5N1 infections.

An official admitted: "We feel Murshidabad deaths may also be due to H5N1." According to the Centre’s latest estimates, a total of 61,075 poultry birds have died in Birbhum, South Dinajpur and Murshidabad districts of West Bengal in the last 10 days.

Fresh cases of mortality have also been reported from the Khargram and Burwan blocks of Murshidabad district, adjoining the affected areas of Birbhum. Fresh mortality of 347 poultry birds was also located in the Gangarampur block in South Dinajpur district.

Officials said: "As per a message received from the state government, there are reports of unusual mortality in Terhatta block of Nadia district, Kalna block of Bardhman district and Baruipur village of South 24 Parganas. Except for a mortality of 40 poultry birds from Baruipur village, figures of mortality in the other two blocks are not yet available. Scientists have collected samples and sent it to the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory, Bhopal, to ascertain whether it is H5N1 infections or not. Active surveillance is being undertaken in these areas," officials added.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/I...ow/2709064.cms

[Dutchy]

Districts of West Bengal:

Confirmed bird flu

# 5 South Dinajpur

# 7 Birbhum District

Unconfirmed reports from:

# 6 Maldah

# 8 Murshidabad

# 9 Bardhaman / Burdwan

# 10 Nadia

# 13 Hooghly

# 18 South 24-Parganas




Note: # 17 is Kolkata / Calcutta Metropolis


- snip -

The bird flu scare has also spread to South 24 Parganas district adjoining Kolkata besides other south Bengal districts like Hooghly, Nadia and Burdwan from where reports of poultry deaths are pouring in.


http://www.newkerala.com/one.php?act...lnews&id=13747

[AlaskaDenise]

Originally Posted by niman

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/01...5N1_Nadia.html

Commentary

H5N1 Spread to Nadia West Bengal?

Recombinomics Commentary 09:34
January 17, 2008

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.

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.

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 above comments indicate H5N1 has spread in Birbhum, and may also be spreading in Nadia (see satellite map). The new areas in Birbhum are in the north, and closer to the Bangladesh boarder.

The bird deaths in Nadia are adjacent to the Bangladesh border. Although some officials have said the poultry deaths are due to Newcastle Disease, the close proximity to Birbhum and the Bangladesh border, and lack of response to Newcastle Disease treatment, raise concerns that H5N1 has spread south in West Bengal.

Reports of Newcastle Disease frequently precede announcements of H5N1 infections. More detail on testing of birds in this region, as well as additional regions to the south, would be useful.

.

[Dutchy]

(18/1/2008)

Birdflu situation gets grim, Hawks and crows also hit by H5NI strain

Crows and hawks dying with bird flu symptoms in some areas of the bird flu-hit districts of Birbhum, Murshidabad and South Dinajpur have raised fears that the killer disease may spread to other districts, even Kolkata.

State Animal Resource Development (ARD) department officials said flying birds infected with the H5N1 virus may be carrying the disease to new places.

It is possibly because of the virus having hit flying birds that chickens are dying in areas outside those initially identified as affected by the killer disease. About 2,000 chickens died in Jamuria, Kirnahar and Barwan in Burdwan, Birbhum and Murshidabad districts on Thursday.State Director General of Health Services Sanchita Bakshi said: “Deaths of several birds and hawks were reported in the bird flu-affected villages in Rampurhat. We are keeping a watch on how these birds are dying.”

Dr Amaresh Chatterjee, a former director in the ARD department told HT: “It is a matter of concern once crows and hawks are affected with the H5N1 virus. Droplets of affected birds spread the virus rapidly everywhere — and even in ponds and water bodies. It is not possible to confine these birds in cages, as is possible with poultry birds.”

It is possibly because of the virus having hit flying birds that chickens are dying in areas outside those initially identified as affected by the killer disease. About 2,000 chickens died in Jamuria, Kirnahar and Barwan in Burdwan, Birbhum and Murshidabad districts on Thursday.

The ARD department messed up again in culling birds in Birbhum and South Dinajpur on Thursday at a time when the Centre, along with the World Health Organisation (WHO), criticised the state government for its delay in taking preventive action after the outbreak was confirmed by lab tests in Bhopal and Pune. The Centre has directed the state to cull birds in Murshidabad’s Khargram and Padakandi areas, bordering the worst-affected Rampurhat in Birbhum.

A senior WHO official said the fourth bird flu outbreak in India since 2006 presented its toughest challenge.

About 10,000 birds were culled in Birbhum while hardly 2,000 were killed in South Dinajpur. The state-sponsored culling process is too slow. State government officials said this is because the Centre has not sent an official communication about sharing the cost of culling.
In fact, the Centre is yet to issue an official notification declaring that the disease is of epidemic proportions, said ARD Minister Anisur Rahman.

The minister said payment of compensation to affected farmers would pose little problem.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryP...2-c4330fb4a062

[AlaskaDenise]

As H5N1 enters the scavenger sector of the environment, what is next up the chain......scavenging mammals? Dogs, foxes, etc. The vultures are very important in India & are already suffering a decline due to some meds used in cattle. The vulture decline is already having a direct impact on human health.

.