India/Bengal/Tripura Bird Flu Spread to Humans?

[HenryN]

Bengal bird flu spreads to humans?

22 Jan 2008, 0014 hrs IST,Kounteya Sinha,TNN

NEW DELHI: India may record its first human bird flu cases if five persons in West Bengal, under observation for displaying "clinical symptoms" associated with the infection after handling backyard poultry, are confirmed to be afflicted with the disease.

All five are residents of Murshidabad, one of seven West Bengal districts to have been hit by the deadly H5N1 virus in its latest outbreak in India, and have been quarantined and administered Tamiflu - the most effective antibiotic against avian influenza.

Investigations revealed that the men had handled backyard poultry soon after the disease infected and killed birds. The outbreak has been traced to small pens maintained by individuals rather than large farms. The men reported influenza-like symptoms including fever, cough, sore throat and muscle ache.

Some of them are also suspected to be suffering from respiratory illness like pneumonia. A special team from the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, collected blood and throat samples of the patients on Sunday.

They are being tested by scientists at the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICED), Kolkata, and Delhi's National Institute of Virology and National Institute of Communicable Diseases - the only three bio safety level (BSL)-III labs in India equipped to test human samples for avian influenza.

The next 24 hours will be a nervous wait for officials monitoring the outbreak as final reports are expected on Tuesday.

Speaking to TOI, Dr Sekhar Chakraborty, NICED scientist, said: "Scientists from our institute have already left for Pune and Delhi with five human samples to be tested at NIV and NICD.

An NIV team collected the samples. All the five individuals have shown clinical symptoms of the disease and also had a history of handling infected and dead poultry. We should complete our tests by Tuesday morning."

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/I...ow/2719341.cms

[Dutchy]

Bird flu: Officials asked to collect random human samples

22 Jan 2008,


NEW DELHI: Worried that the vast swathe of the bird flu virus across West Bengal puts human health at grave risk, the Union health ministry on Monday asked its officials camping in the affected districts to intensify door-to-door surveillance and test anyone showing symptoms of flu.

Union health secretary Naresh Dayal said that random sampling of humans will also be conducted across West Bengal, irrespective of proximity to infected areas or whether there is a history of handling infected poultry.

Dayal said: "This is a serious outbreak among birds. However, we aren't taking any chances with human health. The weather is such that lots of human flu cases are being observed. Till Sunday, 707 people with fever in infected districts were tested. None showed signs of lower respiratory tract infection, a must for avain influenza."

On January 15, the H5N1 bird flu virus re-surfaced in India, just two months after the country declared itself flu-free.

The virus was isolated by HSADL (Bhopal) and NIV (Pune) from dead poultry samples in the two districts of Birbhum and South Dinajpur. The virus had killed over 35,000 poultry in 102 villages of Birbhum and 288 birds in South Dinajpur in just seven days.

The H5N1 is still a bird virus. It does not spread from person-to-person. It has shown a fatality rate of over 61% in humans. India has seen four bird flu outbreaks in the last two years. But it is yet to report a single human case.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/B...ow/2719356.cms

[hawkeye]

West Bengal: Bird flu scare among humans

Sunday, January 20 2008 20:25(IST)

Barrackpore, Jan 20: Fear of bird flu break-out spread in parts of North 24 Parganas, where 15 people, including nine children were reported to developed rashes. Municipality source here today said measles-like rashes that erupted on the skin of 15 people of three families of Navin Palii in Kanchrapara municipal area in North 24 Parganas caused panic here.

While there had not been any official reports on the spread of the infection, Councillor Ira Majumdar said she has reported the matter to Chairman Sankar Basak. Municipal authorities have, however, decided to send a medical team to examine the patients of several houses in Ward No 3, where some patients complained of suffering insect bites from a neighouring house, where the house-owner reared a few hens.

At least, nine residents of the house, where the hens were reared, including three children aged between six months and six years, have also been affected, another victim Jiban Krishna Das, a 38-year old neighour said.

Local physicians, who could not confirm the cause of the rashes, have directed the patients to report to a local hospital, while the owner of the house in question had been advised to kill the hens affected by the insects.

Meanwhile, a veterinary team, from the district headquarters in North 24 Parganas, visited Bilkanda under Ghola police station, where death of some hens were reported on Jan 19.

The medical team has, however, not found any clue as to the reason behind the outbreak of bird flue in that area, official sources said. Similar reports of death of hens from some houses in North Kulberia under Gopalnagar police station came to the district headquarters, source added.

UNI

[HenryN]

Commentary

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

[Dutchy]

Boy dies after eating sick chicken

Statesman News Service

PLASSEY (Nadia), Jan. 21: Selim Malick Sheikh (9), a class III student of Mira Sahid Swaran Primary School of Kadamtalapara in Plassey in Kaliganj block of Nadia died on the night of 19 January within 48 hours after consuming sick chickens cooked at home. He died on his way to Beliaghata ID Hospital.
Dr Bhaskar Samanta, superintendent of the Behrampur Sadar Hospital where Selim was admitted for a short time before being referred to Beliaghata ID hospital said: “I cannot say whether he died of bird flu.”

Animal husbandry minister Mr Anisur Rahman said he had asked the CMOH, Nadia, to confirm the cause of Selim's death. “If need be, the body will be exhumed,” he said. State health minister Dr Surjya Kanta Mishra said: “This is not a case of a human death caused by avian flu. No such case has been reported in the state so far.”

http://www.thestatesman.net/page.new...ss=1&id=186925

[sharon sanders]

From the FAO:

WHAT TO DO WITH SICK OR DEAD BIRDS
□ Report sick or dead birds immediately to the veterinary authorities (or local
equivalent)
□ Do not leave dead animals lying around
□ Do not throw dead animals into rivers, lakes or other bodies of water
□ If you have a plastic bag, place the carcass in the bag; if you do not, take the carcass
away from the rest of the flock and out of reach of children and others
□ Leave disposal of bird carcasses to the veterinary authorities (or local equivalent) and
help only if they ask
□ If there are no veterinary authorities (or local equivalent), seek help from your local
community to dispose of carcasses
□ Do not eat the carcass of a dead bird
□ Do not sell the carcass of a dead bird


DO NOT EAT SICK POULTRY


BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THE SIGNS OF AVIAN INFLUENZA IN YOUR
POULTRY

If your poultry shows any of the following signs, it may have avian influenza:

lack of coordination (including inability to walk and stand)

ruffled feathers

difficulty in breathing

loss of appetite

depression and droopiness

bluish colouring of wattles and comb

oedema and swelling of head, eyelids, comb, wattles, hocks

watery diarrhoea

small haemorrhages (most visible on feet and shanks)

signs of blood in nose discharge

sudden fall in egg production

eggs with soft shells


http://www.fao.org/avianflu/document...tectPeople.pdf

[HenryN]

Commentary at

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

[HenryN]

Health: Bird Flu

Sci/Tech | Akanksha Vaidya

We tend to take the term “common cold” quite literally. A sneeze is usually dismissed with no more than a “bless you” and a tissue.
However, this simple sneeze may not be as harmless as we may believe.
Avian influenza or “bird flu,” as it is more commonly known, also starts off with a simple sneeze — leading to something far worse than the common cold.
The bird flu has recently become a major cause of death in Southeast Asia. According to a New Delhi Television Limited press release, the deadly disease is currently propagating at an alarmingly increasing rate in West Bengal, India. Should the disease continue to spread like wildfire, it will soon reach the level of a pandemic.
The H5N1 virus, which is known to cause bird flu in humans, is one of a family of avian influenza viruses. These viruses reside in the intestines of wild birds, such as wild ducks and swans. Wild birds are an ideal host for the H5N1 virus due to their environmental and migration logistics.
While the viruses do not normally harm the wild birds they reside in, they render domestic birds like chickens and turkeys extremely sick.
Infected birds contain the virus in their saliva and excreta, and birds that come in contact with such saliva or excreta also contract the disease. Thus, among domestic fowl, the disease is not only fatal but highly contagious.
H5N1 drew attention because of its growing transmission to human beings.
H5N1 contradicted the earlier belief that avian influenza only affected birds. The disease was first reported to attack humans in 1997 in Hong Kong. A total of 18 cases were reported, six of which were fatal.
According to a Reuters press release, there are 118 reported cases to date in Indonesia, the nation hit hardest by the disease. Voice of America News reported 97 of those to be fatal. “The U.S. government has been stockpiling a pre-pandemic vaccine,” said Anita Barkin, Director of Health Services.
The pre-pandemic vaccine has been made from the genetic material of viruses (such as H5N1) that are currently circulating. The difficulty with producing such vaccines is that the virus can mutate and form a new strain, thus rendering previously produced vaccines useless.
A similar problem is encountered while administering anti-virals to affected patients.
“The concern is that if we use anti-virals like Tamiflu to treat a large number of patients, resistant strains of the virus could occur and the anti-virals would no longer be effective. What might end up being effective in the end is a cocktail of anti-virals,” said Barkin.
Having said that, statistics that indicate that the bird flu is localized to East Asia can be rather misleading. In fact, in 2006 the H5N1 virus was detected in wild swans in Michigan. The globalization of the disease is a result of migratory birds carrying the disease with them to different parts of the world.
Although bird flu is contagious among the bird species, it does not spread from one human being to another.
“The cases that have occurred today have occurred in places where [people] have had close contact with infected birds or have been involved in the butchering of birds and the handling of raw meat,” she said. Thoroughly- cooked meat is safe to eat and handle, so it is important to make sure that meat isn’t raw or partially cooked before consumption, Barkin said.
In addition to watching out for infected animals or undercooked meat, regular health check-ups could prove to be lifesavers. It doesn’t matter where you live — finding out the reason behind that sneeze could save your life.


http://www.thetartan.org/2008/1/21/scitech/birdflu

[Dutchy]

Fear fever grips flu villages

KINSUK BASU

Ishira (Birbhum-Murshidabad border), Jan. 21: Many villagers in the bird flu pockets are living in fear of the virus, ignorant about it and unaware of the dos and don’ts to avoid infection.

Across Ishira, Sandhyajol, Budhigram, Ustapara and Khameda in this area of Birbhum bordering Murshidabad, villagers have started queuing up before health centres and quacks to ask if the “new virus” had caused their fever.

In most cases, doctors are either prescribing antibiotics or suggesting a visit to “specialists” in Rampurhat town, 25 km away.

Adalat Hussain of Ishira, a farmer who also trades in cows, said: “I and my wife Apela have fever for two days. It is refusing to go. The body ache is worse — it’s there in the head, in the joints and everywhere.”

A local doctor, Gour Sen, has prescribed Amoxicillin and advised them to go to Rampurhat if the fever persists.

Kamaluddin Sheikh’s four-year-old son Rabikul also has fever. “He shivers when the fever shoots up,” said the father. “He is better after a dose of medicine, but the fever keeps coming back.”

His doctor, Nepal Banerjee, has told him that this is a “new fever” and he should consult a “boro daaktar (specialist)”.

According to experts, chances of human infection from birds are remote. Only around 300 people have been affected across the world over the past few years. But such figures mean little for panic-stricken villagers.

Many like Mihir Sutradhar of Purul went straight to the Rampurhat Subdivisional Hospital.

Fancy Bibi, the chief of the local Budhigram panchayat, said a meeting was organised yesterday to create awareness among villagers about chicken handling. “We are trying, but there is little support from the administration. People are feeling apprehensive, though they may be having the everyday fever,” Fancy said.

At the hospital, superintendent Himadri Haldar said: “We are equipped to admit patients if they turn up.”

The isolation ward at the hospital has four beds each for male and female patients.

Haldar said: “We have got Tamiflu capsules, but its indiscriminate use may lead to drug resistance.”

A camp has been set up on the ground floor of the BDO’s office in Margram, where doctors are attending to people running temperature and complaining of body ache.

Health minister Surjya Kanta Mishra said in Calcutta that 600 people with fever, cough and respiratory distress had been treated at health centres in bird flu-hit pockets. “No one is suspected to be suffering from bird flu,” he added.

The health department today sent 15 ventilators to hospitals where isolation wards have been set up.


http://www.telegraphindia.com/108012...y_8812146.jsp#

[Dutchy]

Probe into boy death

OUR CORRESPONDENT

Krishnagar, Jan. 21: A 10-year-old boy who had fever died yesterday in Plassey, Nadia.

The area is not in the bird flu zone and doctors said there was no immediate reason to suspect the disease.

But district health authorities have ordered a probe because Samirul Sheikh’s family rears chickens.

On Friday evening, the Class IV student told his parents that he was feeling ill. His condition started deteriorating that night.

“We brought a quack but he couldn’t improve his condition. On Saturday morning, I took Samirul to the Kaligunj block hospital,” said the boy’s father, Manirul, a resident of PWD More, 150km from Calcutta.

Block medical officer Manas Bhattacharjee said Samirul had 104-degree Fahrenheit fever and stomach pain. His blood sugar level had shot up to 260, 120 above normal

http://www.telegraphindia.com/108012...ry_8812145.jsp

[HenryN]

Government of India
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

Status Report on Avian Influenza in West Bengal

(

As on 21.1.2008)

Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries, Govt. of India has notified Avian Influenza in poultry in 13 blocks and one Municipal area in 6 districts, namely Birbhum, Dakshin Dinajpur, Murshidabad, Nadia, Bankura and Burdwan.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has taken following actions.
• Six central rapid response teams of this Ministry are assisting the State health authorities in containment operations in the affected areas.

• Birbhum:

�� The surveillance teams are conducting active surveillance in 0-3 Km area and in 3-10 Km Zone.

�� The Surveillance teams are covering a population of 24,421 on daily basis in 0-3 Km area.

�� In 3-10 Km area they have covered a population of 10,327 on 20.1.2008. The cumulative population covered in this zone is 51,289. The total population in this zone is 1,51,348.

�� During the survey the teams have found 700 persons having Fever/URI

�� No suspected human cases of Avian Influenza has been detected

On 20.1.2008 a total of 334 animal health workers [veterinary surgeon, poultry workers, cullers, spraying workers etc.] and 190 Health personnel [medical officers, health supervisors and health workers] have been medically examined. The personnel involved in the containment operations are under the cover of Tamiflu and are under medical supervision.

• In South Dinajpur District:

�� Culling operations are underway in the affected areas.

�� Surveillance operations have been started in 0-10 Km area.

�� A total of 25 surveillance teams under the supervision of one medical officer have started daily surveillance in the entire population. Population surveyed is 31,595 in 0-3 Km area.

�� During the survey the teams have found 71 persons having Fever/URI

�� A total of 287 animal health workers [veterinary surgeon, poultry workers, cullers, spraying workers etc.] and 187 Health personnel [medical officers, health supervisors and health workers] and 71 hospital staff have been medically examined. The personnel involved in the containment

operations are under the cover of Tamiflu and are under medical supervision.

�� No suspected human cases of Avian Influenza have been detected.

• In Murshidabad District:

�� Surveillance activities are going on in the district.

�� Total population in 0-3 Km area is 19652 and between 3-10 Km area the population is 76522.

�� No suspected human cases of Avian Influenza have been detected

• MOHFW has supplied 20,000 capsules of Tamiflu, 2500 personal protective equipments, 2500 N-95 masks and 5 ventilators. This is in addition to 10 ventilators and 10 semi automatic analysers supplied earlier.

• Additional supplies of 1,00,000 capsules of Tamiflu, 2500 personal protective equipments, 2500 N-95 masks are being sent to the State Govt.

• Two more central teams from MOHFW have reached West Bengal and reaching the affected districts to assist the State health authorities.

• Central Teams to Jharkhand, Bihar, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram have also reached and are reviewing the preparedness measures.
The situation is being monitored on a daily basis.

http://www.mohfw.nic.in/Status%20Rep...-21.1.2008.pdf

[HenryN]

Commentary

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

[Sally Furniss]

Five people have 'bird flu symptoms' in India

KOLKATA, India (AFP) - Five people have been quarantined in eastern India with "clinical symptoms" of deadly avian flu following the country's worst ever outbreak of the virus, reports said Tuesday.

All are residents of West Bengal state and are suffering from fever, cough, sore throat and muscle ache after handling affected poultry, the Times of India reported.

If the tests are positive, this will be the first case of human infection due to the deadly H5N1 strain in India, home to 1.1 billion people and hit by bird flu among poultry three times since 2006.

The five have been given antivirals as authorities await results of blood tests, the report said.

People typically catch the disease by coming into direct contact with infected poultry, but experts fear a flu pandemic if the H5N1 mutates into a form easily transmissible between humans.

Eight districts in West Bengal have been hit by the virus, with authorities reporting over 100,000 bird deaths and teams trying to cull 700,000 chickens and ducks.

But villagers have also been seen eating chickens killed by bird flu, or otherwise selling the meat at cheap prices.

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

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080122...healthfluindia

[HenryN]

Bird flu spreads in West Bengal, other states cautious

User Rating: / 0
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Page 1 of 2 Kolkata, Jan 22 (IANS) With the bird flu spreading to a seventh district, authorities in West Bengal Tuesday set a target to cull two million poultry amid a false alarm that the virus might have infected five people. The National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICED) here has vehemently denied reports of five people being possibly infected by the virus. "The news of a possible viral attack on five humans is totally baseless. The five samples that were sent for laboratory tests in Pune were all negative and we have sent the report to ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research). A section of the media quoted me without actually speaking to me," agitated NICED scientist Sekhar Chakraborty told IANS. But the crisis continues. Central government officials had confirmed Monday night that samples from Malda district's Chanchol (Block I), about 375 km from here, had tested positive for bird flu. On Tuesday, the West Bengal government corroborated the news. "Chanchol is affected by bird flu. The culling operation would begin from Tuesday," West Bengal Animal Husbandry Minister Anisur Rahman told IANS. With confirmation of the outbreak of bird flu in Malda, now seven districts in the state are in the grip of the deadly viral infection. The six other districts are Birbhum, South Dinajpur, Murshidabad, Nadia, Burdwan and Bankura. About 200,000 poultry birds have been culled in West Bengal since Wednesday to combat the deadly H5N1 strain. The state had set a target of slaughtering 400,000 poultry but, with the spread of the disease to new areas, the government has decided that at least two million birds should be killed, West Bengal Health Minister Surya Kanta Misra said. As the spread of bird flu outpaces culling in West Bengal, the deadly virus is taking human lives indirectly. Reports said 28-year-old Ananda Haldar of Malda district committed suicide Sunday by jumping in front of a train. He was driven to desperation by the fall in sale of chickens. Ananda had not sold a single bird since the outbreak and was depressed, his elder brother Prabhat said. Ananda had taken a loan of Rs.20,000 from a moneylender to stock up on broilers but the falling sales had left him devastated. More than a million poultry deaths were reported in West Bengal in the past three weeks. The state government has allocated Rs.30 million for compensation to those losing their poultry, Rahman said. Farmers were being handed over tokens at culling sites and asked to contact their panchayat or village block offices for the money. The payment is Rs.40 for a country chicken, Rs.30 for a broiler and Rs.10 for a chick. The H5N1 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.

http://www.khabrein.info/index.php?o...1&limitstart=1

[Dutchy]

Human samples test negative for bird flu in WB

Tuesday, 22 January , 2008, 12:39

New Delhi: The Centre on Tuesday allayed fears of bird flu spreading to human beings in West Bengal, saying random testing of people in the affected areas has been carried out and all such samples have tested negative.

"It is a general thing that if anybody has any fever or anything like that the blood will be tested and till date we have not got any confirmation for that (bird flu)," Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss told reporters on the sidelines of a function in New Delhi.

http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14592838

[Dutchy]

- snip -

The National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) which as a part of the Union Health Ministry is responsible for carrying out the screening on Tuesday said that all five human samples taken from West Bengal have tested negative.

"In fact the samples which were taken from South Dinajpur and Birbhum did not have any clinical symptoms of the disease and did not even fit the definition of suspect cases," NICD Director Shivlal said.

"Three samples which had been sent to NICD, New Delhi, had tested negative on Monday and NICD, Kolkata, which tested five samples has confirmed on Tuesday that all of them are negative for the presence of Avian Influenza," he said.

The samples had been randomly selected from people who had handled poultry, the villagers in the affected areas and the culling teams.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/I...ow/2720437.cms

[Treyfish]

India risks bird flu 'disaster'; human cases feared Posted: 22 January 2008 1822 hrs Photos 1 of 1 Indian health workers hold chickens during a culling operation in Rampurhat KOLKATA, India : India's worst ever outbreak of bird flu could turn into a disaster, an official warned Tuesday, as five people were reportedly quarantined with symptoms of the virus. Eight districts in the eastern state of West Bengal have been hit by the virus, and dead birds are being sold and locals said to be "feasting" on cheap chicken. The state's animal resources minister, Anisur Rahaman, said authorities were "determined to cull all poultry in the districts in three or four days, otherwise the state will face a disaster." More than 100,000 bird deaths have been reported, and teams are racing to cull two million chickens and ducks. The Times of India reported five people in West Bengal have been quarantined with "clinical symptoms" of avian flu -- including fever, coughing, sore throat and muscle ache -- after handling affected poultry. If the tests are positive, this will be the first case of human infection in India, home to 1.1 billion people and hit by bird flu among poultry three times since 2006. Health officials in New Delhi said they were currently analysing blood samples from close to 150 people who have complained of fever. On the ground, culling teams have been facing an uphill battle with villagers smuggling birds out of flu affected areas and selling them in open markets. Thirty-year-old Sheikh Ali, a vendor in Birbhum's Gharisa market, 340 kilometres (192 miles) from the state capital Kolkata, said the sale of poultry had doubled in the past week. "The prices of chicken have come down from 60 rupees to 20 rupees (1.5 dollars to 50 cents) per kilogramme (2.2 pounds). "Poor villagers are feasting on chicken. At normal times, they cannot afford to buy as prices are so high. Now they are enjoying the meat," Ali said. People typically catch the disease by coming into direct contact with infected poultry, but experts fear a flu pandemic if the H5N1 mutates into a form easily transmissible between humans. Migratory birds have been largely blamed for the global spread of the disease, which has killed more than 200 people worldwide since 2003. In Birbhum, police seized two trucks of smuggled poultry early Tuesday but culling teams were yet to arrive at the spot, an AFP correspondent said. "Poultry owners are smuggling their birds out at night and transporting it to different places for fear of culling," said Shubhendu Mahato, a security guard at Arambagh Hatchery, one of the biggest in West Bengal. Chicken shops had also sprung up along the main highways overnight with people crowding them, the AFP correspondent said. Neighbouring Nepal, which has banned poultry imports from India since 2006, said its border posts were on high alert. Bangladesh, which also borders West Bengal, was meanwhile battling its own serious outbreak -- with experts warning the situation was far worse than the government was letting on. "Bird flu is now everywhere. Every day we have reports of birds dying in farms," said leading poultry expert and the treasurer of Bangladesh Poultry Association M.M Khan. "Things are now very, very serious and public health is under danger. The government is trying to suppress the whole scenario," Khan said, adding that farmers were also holding back from reporting cases. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stori...324159/1/.html

[Treyfish]

Bird flu in West Bengal could get out of hand: official
Bappa Majumdar, Reuters Kolkata, January 22, 2008

The outbreak of bird flu in West Bengal could spiral out of control, officials said on Tuesday, as the disease spread to the state's seventh district.
The deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu was found among poultry in Malda, infecting seven of the 19 districts in West Bengal, according to state officials.
"There is every chance of the virus spiralling out of hand if it's too late," said Sanchita Bakshi, the state health services director.
Nepal meanwhile banned the import of poultry products from neighbour India. In Bangladesh, authorities culled thousands of chickens after the virus spread to Natore district.
At least 24 million people live in West Bengal's seven affected districts. Officials worry the virus could spread to humans and were collecting random blood samples from villagers.
Experts say the H5N1 strain could mutate into a form easily transmitted from person to person, leading to a pandemic.
"We are taking all precautionary measures and checking human samples with symptoms of cough and cold," said A.C. Mishra of the National Institute of Virology in Pune.
"Thankfully, the reports have all been negative so far," he said by telephone.
Central government authorities have confirmed H5N1 infections in only two of the seven districts, based on time-consuming tests from India's central animal disease laboratory. But state officials say the other cases are all the same strain.
The World Health Organization has said it was India's most serious outbreak.
Quarantine report denied
The state health minister, Surjya Kanta Mishra, denied a newspaper report five people in West Bengal had been quarantined with bird flu symptoms.
"We don't have a single concrete suspected human infection case also," he said.
Villagers in West Bengal blamed the state government for not informing them about the hazards of bird flu as dozens admitted roasting dead birds and eating them. The virus is usually passed on through close contact with infected birds and their faeces.
Nearby states, including Meghalaya and Bihar, have banned import of poultry from West Bengal and were checking chickens for bird flu.
Veterinarians and scientists said infected birds could have been smuggled out of the affected districts.
"It is difficult, there is no checkpost, there is no such border," Sushil Kumar Modi, Bihar's deputy chief minister, told Reuters in Patna.
In Bangladesh, health workers have continued killing birds as the virus spread to 26 of its 64 districts. The country has struggled to contain the H5N1 outbreak since March.
Nepal said it was worried about the virus's spread.
"We have alerted all border check posts to be on guard against any import of poultry," said Baikuntha Parajuli, a top official of the the government's animal health department.
Worried West Bengal
A week after the first blood samples from dead chickens tested positive for bird flu, the West Bengal government has now raised the culling target to 2 million.
However, only 150,000 poultry have been culled so far in the state as health workers have often turned up late for duty.
Health workers even stopped culling in several places and demanded higher wages, villagers said.
Officials said culling was slow, while some disease experts said the government had reacted too late.
"The delay in diagnosing the problem by the government has cost them dearly. We are hugely worried," said C.M. Gulhati, the India editor of the Monthly Index of Medical Speciality, a British medical publication.
West Bengal is ruled by the world's longest-serving democratically elected communist government. Its leaders have struggled against regular strikes and protests. http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryP...nd%3a+official

[Muscade]

November 4, 2006 Bappa Majumdar, Reuters
Kolkata, January 22, 2008
First Published: 14:07 IST(22/1/2008)
Last Updated: 16:44 IST(22/1/2008)

Bird flu in West Bengal could get out of hand: official

The outbreak of bird flu in West Bengal could spiral out of control, officials said on Tuesday, as the disease spread to the state's seventh district.

The deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu was found among poultry in Malda, infecting seven of the 19 districts in West Bengal, according to state officials.

"There is every chance of the virus spiralling out of hand if it's too late," said Sanchita Bakshi, the state health services director.

Nepal meanwhile banned the import of poultry products from neighbour India. In Bangladesh, authorities culled thousands of chickens after the virus spread to Natore district.

At least 24 million people live in West Bengal's seven affected districts. Officials worry the virus could spread to humans and were collecting random blood samples from villagers.

Experts say the H5N1 strain could mutate into a form easily transmitted from person to person, leading to a pandemic.

"We are taking all precautionary measures and checking human samples with symptoms of cough and cold," said A.C. Mishra of the National Institute of Virology in Pune.

"Thankfully, the reports have all been negative so far," he said by telephone.

Central government authorities have confirmed H5N1 infections in only two of the seven districts, based on time-consuming tests from India's central animal disease laboratory. But state officials say the other cases are all the same strain.

The World Health Organization has said it was India's most serious outbreak.

Quarantine report denied

The state health minister, Surjya Kanta Mishra, denied a newspaper report five people in West Bengal had been quarantined with bird flu symptoms.

"We don't have a single concrete suspected human infection case also," he said.
Villagers in West Bengal blamed the state government for not informing them about the hazards of bird flu as dozens admitted roasting dead birds and eating them. The virus is usually passed on through close contact with infected birds and their faeces.

Nearby states, including Meghalaya and Bihar, have banned import of poultry from West Bengal and were checking chickens for bird flu.

Veterinarians and scientists said infected birds could have been smuggled out of the affected districts.

"It is difficult, there is no checkpost, there is no such border," Sushil Kumar Modi, Bihar's deputy chief minister, told Reuters in Patna.

In Bangladesh, health workers have continued killing birds as the virus spread to 26 of its 64 districts. The country has struggled to contain the H5N1 outbreak since March.

Nepal said it was worried about the virus's spread.

"We have alerted all border check posts to be on guard against any import of poultry," said Baikuntha Parajuli, a top official of the the government's animal health department.

Worried West Bengal

A week after the first blood samples from dead chickens tested positive for bird flu, the West Bengal government has now raised the culling target to 2 million.

However, only 150,000 poultry have been culled so far in the state as health workers have often turned up late for duty.

Health workers even stopped culling in several places and demanded higher wages, villagers said.

Officials said culling was slow, while some disease experts said the government had reacted too late.

"The delay in diagnosing the problem by the government has cost them dearly. We are hugely worried," said C.M. Gulhati, the India editor of the Monthly Index of Medical Speciality, a British medical publication.

West Bengal is ruled by the world's longest-serving democratically elected communist government. Its leaders have struggled against regular strikes and protests.

(Additional reporting by Gopal Sharma in Kathmandu, Simon Denyer in Patna)

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryP...5-a8d0856bae57

[HenryN]

No human infected yet, but bird flu keeps spreading

Nine people checked for signs of bird flu in West Bengal were cleared Tuesday, bringing a bit of relief to harried officials grappling with the spread of the epidemic to a seventh district. Two million poultry will have to be culled now, 10 times the number killed in the first week.
Kolkata/New Delhi, India, 2008-01-22 16:45:02 (IndiaPRwire.com)
Nine people checked for signs of bird flu in West Bengal were cleared Tuesday, bringing a bit of relief to harried officials grappling with the spread of the epidemic to a seventh district. Two million poultry will have to be culled now, 10 times the number killed in the first week.
'Four (human) samples tested in our Delhi head office have been found negative to avian influenza,' Director of National Institute of Communicable Disease (NICD) Shiv Lal told IANS.
'People should not get worried unnecessarily. All human samples related to bird flu have been found negative and we don't have any other sample right now,' said Lal. 'We have given the report to the central and the state government.'
In the West Bengal capital, the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICED) also denied reports that the virus had spread to five people.
'The news of a possible viral attack on five humans is totally baseless. The five samples that were sent for laboratory tests in Pune were all negative and we have sent the report to ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research). A section of the media quoted me without actually speaking to me,' agitated NICED scientist Sekhar Chakraborty told IANS.
But the avian crisis continues to escalate.
Central government officials had confirmed Monday night that samples from Malda district's Chanchol (Block I), about 375 km from Kolkata, had tested positive for bird flu. On Tuesday, the West Bengal government corroborated the report.
'Chanchol is affected by bird flu. The culling operation will begin Tuesday,' West Bengal Animal Husbandry Minister Anisur Rahman told IANS.
With confirmation of the outbreak of bird flu in Malda, now seven districts in the state are in the grip of the deadly viral infection. The six other districts are Birbhum, South Dinajpur, Murshidabad, Nadia, Burdwan and Bankura.
About 200,000 poultry have been culled in West Bengal since Jan 16 to combat the deadly H5N1 strain.
The state had set a target of slaughtering 400,000 poultry but, with the spread of the disease to new areas, the government has decided that at least two million birds should be killed, West Bengal Health Minister Surya Kanta Misra said.
More than a million poultry deaths have been reported in West Bengal in the past three weeks.
The state government has allocated Rs.30 million for compensation to those losing their poultry, Rahman said.
Farmers were being handed over tokens at culling sites and asked to contact their panchayat or village block offices for the money. The payment is Rs.40 for a country chicken, Rs.30 for a broiler and Rs.10 for a chick.
The H5N1 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.
Meanwhile in Delhi, speaking on the sideline of the centenary celebrations of the Trained Nurses' Association of India (TNAI), Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss said: 'Random screening is being carried out in several bird flu affected districts of West Bengal but no human case has been confirmed so far.'
Several states have banned the import of chicken from West Bengal. The central government has asked the state government to seal its border with neighbouring countries like Bangladesh and Bhutan and directed the state to be on alert over poultry movement across the Bangladesh border.
Ramadoss said several health ministry teams were conducting random screening of people from villages where bird flu has been confirmed or suspected. The screening is being done in 5 km radius around the affected areas, he explained.
- Indo Asian News Service

http://www.indiaprwire.com/print/?type=news&id=26867

[Treyfish]

Human samples test negative for bird flu


CNN-IBN


Published on Tue, Jan 22, 2008 at 14:55, Updated at Tue, Jan 22, 2008 in Nation section

Tags: Bird Flu, Murshidabad , New Delhi

E-mail this report | Print this report








FLU FLEW: Malda is the seventh district to be affected by the deadly avian flu virus.




New Delhi: Bird flu is spreading fast in West Bengal.

Five human samples have tested negative for bird flu. The samples came from five people from Murshidabad who were exhibiting flu symptoms and had been kept under observation.

"The samples sent to National Institute of Virology, Pune, were found negative," confirmed state Animal Husbandry Minister, Anirsur Rehman.

Authorities have asked for random human samples to be sent for testing.

Malda is the seventh district to be affected by the deadly avian flu virus.
So far, the districts affected are North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Hooghly, Nadia, West Midnapur and Birbhum.

Around 20 million people live in these affected areas.

The number of culling teams have been increased from 60 to 400. But the teams are often being hounded out of villages and people are still preferring to consume their birds rather than handing them over for culling.

The situation is increasingly becoming worrisome in the state with a large backyard poultry population that mingles freely with ducks and wild birds.
http://www.ibnlive.com/news/bird-flu...t/57122-3.html

[sharon sanders]

Hat tip Ironorehopper - Good Hygiene is Needed - Reservoirs of flu persist
Prevalence and diversity of avian influenza viruses in environmental reservoirs

Andrew S. Lang¹, Anke Kelly² and Jonathan A. Runstadler^2
1 Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St John's, NL A1B 3X9, Canada
² Institute of Arctic Biology, PO Box 757000, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA

Correspondence
Jonathan A. Runstadler
j.runstadler@uaf.edu
Little is known about the ecology and evolution of avian influenza in the natural environment, despite how these affect the potential for transmission. Most work has focused on characterizing viruses isolated from hosts such as waterfowl, and there have also been several instances of isolation and detection from abiotic sources such as water and ice. We used RT-PCR to amplify and characterize the influenza virus sequences present in sediments of ponds that are used heavily by waterfowl. The detection rate of influenza virus was high (>50 %). Characterization of the viruses present by sequencing part of the haemagglutinin (HA) gene showed that there is a diverse collection of viruses in these sediments. We sequenced 117 partial HA gene clones from 11 samples and detected four different HA subtypes (H3, H8, H11 and H12), with approximately 65 % of clone sequences being unique. This culture-independent approach was also able to detect a virus subtype that was not found by sampling of birds in the same geographical region in the same year. Viruses were detected readily in the winter when the ponds were frozen, indicating that these sediments could be a year-to-year reservoir of viruses to infect birds using the ponds, although we have not shown that these viruses are viable. We demonstrate that this approach is a feasible and valuable way to assess the prevalence and diversity of viruses present in the environment, and can be a valuable complement to more difficult viral culturing in attempting to understand the ecology of influenza viruses.
The GenBank/EMBL/DDBJ accession numbers for the sequences reported in this paper are EU086918–EU087180.
A supplementary figure showing sampling locations for this study and supplementary tables identifying viruses included in the H3 and H11 phylogenetic analyses are available with the online version of this paper.


http://vir.sgmjournals.org/cgi/conte...tract/89/2/509

[HenryN]

Human samples test negative for bird flu
23 Jan 2008, 0009 hrs IST,Kounteya Sinha,TNN

SMS NEWS to 58888 for latest updates

NEW DELHI: The Centre on Tuesday heaved a sigh of relief after blood samples and throat swabs taken from five residents of Murshidabad, suspected with symptoms of bird flu, tested negative. Dr Shiv Lal, director of the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (Delhi), one of the three labs which tested the five samples, told TOI: "We received five samples from National Institute of Cholera and Enetric Diseases (NICED), Kolkata, all of which have tested negative. Even tests carried out at NICED met the same results. National Institute of Virology in Pune is yet to complete the tests as the samples reached them only on Monday night." He added: "Earlier on Sunday, three other human samples sent to NICD from Sou-th Dinajpur tested negative." This is India's fourth outbreak of avian influenza in birds. Not a single human case of avian influenza has been reported so far. The Union health ministry has meanwhile asked the state to carry out random sampling of humans for the H5N1 virus. The ministry also dispatched fresh stocks of one lakh capsules of Tamiflu to Bengal on Monday along with 2,500 masks and protective gear. Fifty additional bottles of Tamiflu syrup were also sent on Tuesday morning. Meanwhile, culling has been intensified in Bengal. The 258 rapid response teams culled a 2.42 lakh poultry, destroyed 88,252 eggs and about 3,000 kg of feed material. Over 80,000 poultry was culled in South Dinajpur in just three days. Mopping operations have also been completed while disinfection will be resumed on Wednesday. Till Tuesday, Rs 18 lakh compensation had already been disbursed. Expert teams plan to cull an additional 20 lakh chickens in the next week. The virus has killed over 1.13 lakh poultry birds in West Bengal till now. The Centre is sending in teams from eight other states, including Haryana, Assam, Maharashtra, Orissa and Jharkhand, to try and contain its spread. An official said: "Veterinary workers from other states are being roped in and the target for culling has been upped to 21 lakh birds in the next seven days." HSADL, Bhopal, on Tuesday confirmed positive results for avian influenza on samples sent from Krishnanagar-I and Haringhata blocks of Nadia district, Ktugram, Jamuria and Galsi blocks of Burdwan district and Nalhati-I and Bolpur-Sriniketan blocks of Birbhum district. On the other hand, several samples sent from Howrah, South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, Hooghly, Kolkata and West Midnapur tested negative. In Birbhum district, two trucks carrying chickens bound for Jharkhand were detained on Tuesday at Nalhati as the government has banned movement of poultry from bird flu-affected districts. (kounteya.sinha@timesgroup.com ) http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/r...,prtpage-1.cms

[HenryN]

Humans test negative for bird flu


By OUR CORRESPONDENT
Kolkata, Jan. 22: The Centre has expressed concern over the spread of bird flu in fresh areas in West Bengal. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called up chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee about the present bird flu situation in the state as the H5N1 virus spread to the eight district, North 24 Parganas. Unhappy with the pace of culling operations, Union animal husbandry department secretary Pradeep Kumar on Tuesday said that veterinary officials were being brought from other states to expedite the slaughter of chicken.
The chief minister himself admitted that although the situation in Burdwan and Bankura is under control, it was causing concern in Murshidabad and Birbhum. The state government has sent home secretary Prasad Ranjan Roy to Murshidabad and transport secretary Sumanta Chowdhury to Birbhum to review and combat the situation. State health minister Surya Kanta Mishra has gone to Burdwan.
After a high-level meeting with state health officials, Mr Kumar said, "One hundred and fifty additional officials from eight states are being deployed to expedite culling operations in the state. Bird flu has now spread to eight districts with confirmation of the H5N1 virus in North 24 Parganas."
Sources said that so far, only three lakh birds have been culled and 20 lakh more remain to be culled. There is a shortage of rapid response teams. Only 154 teams have been deployed while the Centre had asked for 800 teams.
Mr Roy admitted that the situation bird flu is very alarming. He said in Murshidabad, "Actually, bird flu started from January 1, but district administrations and the animal husbandry department reported it after January 11-12. We have directed the police, particularly in Murshidabad and Malda districts, to seal off borders with Bangladesh and Jharkhand."
The fear of bird flu spreading to humans in West Bengal have now been laid to rest with the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) finding three human samples negative. "It is a general thing that if anybody has any fever or anything like that, the blood will be tested and till date we have not got any confirmation for that (bird flu)," the health minister said on Tuesday.
"Till date we have not had any confirmation of that and there is no reason to be concerned of any human cases of bird flu," he said, adding, "We are all vigilant."
NICD, under the Union health ministry, responsible for carrying out the screening, said all human samples taken from state have tested negative. "Three samples which had been sent to NICD, New Delhi, had tested negative on Tuesday and NICD, Kolkata, which tested five samples, has confirmed on Monday that all of them are negative for the presence of avian influenza," he said.

http://www.asianage.com/presentation...-bird-flu.aspx

[Dutchy]

More on the boy, 8 yo, suspected bird flu death

Bird flu infecting new areas

The marauding advance of the deadly bird flu in West Bengal is suspected to have taken the first human toll with unconfirmed report of the death of an 8-year-old boy from Kaliganj in Nadia district surfacing late on Monday.

Health officials struggled to contain the spread of the disease,but failed to prevent it from infecting new areas in the six of the 19 districts, authorities said here.

Salim Malik Sheikh (8) who had been admitted to Berhampur hospital with fever, numbness and cough on Friday, did not respond to treatment and the doctors advised his immediate transfer to Infectitious Disease (ID) hospital at Beliaghata here. Salim died late on Saturday while on his way to the ID hospital, reports said.

Parents of the victim claimed that the doctors at the district hospital suspected symptoms of human flu in Salim. However, the same couldn't be confirmed.


The district health directorate ordered a random test of blood samples among the local people at Kaliganj to ascertain the cause of Salim's death and take precautionary measures immediately.

If the cause of Salim's death is blamed on the human flu, it would be the maiden human toll from the disease in India. Because, the experts and WHO have already cautioned that the present attack is the worst in India and the virus might mutate into a form that could get transmitted easily from one person to another, leading to a pandemic in the affected districts if proper measures are not taken.

- snip -


http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/...l2008012147892.

credits Treyfish

[Dutchy]

Just a snip:

Health officials in New Delhi said they were currently analysing blood samples from close to 150 people who have complained of fever.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599...-38197,00.html

[Dutchy]

Boy death leads to panic in Nadia


By SUBHASISH CHAUDHURI

Krishnanagar, Jan. 22: The death of Salim Sheikh (8) triggered panic among the residents of Palashi-Kadamtala area of Kaliganj police station in Nadia.

The death of Salim, who had eaten chicken, also sparked a controversy. The local residents suspect that he died of bird flu while the administration ruled out the possibility.

People alleged that no blood samples of either the deceased boy or his parents were tested.

Nadia administration, however, claimed that blood samples were collected by Berhampore hospital where the boy was initially admitted for the treatment and the report was found to be negative.

In Kolkata, state health minister Suryakanta Mishra also maintained that no bird flu virus was found in the blood samples of Salim.

- snip -


http://www.asianage.com/presentation...-in-nadia.aspx

credits Shanon

[Dutchy]

Government of India

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

Status Report on Avian Influenza in West Bengal
(As on 22.1.2008)

Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries, Govt. of India has notified Avian Influenza in poultry in 13 blocks and one Municipal area in 6 districts, namely Birbhum, Dakshin Dinajpur, Murshidabad, Nadia, Bankura and Burdwan.

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has taken following actions.

· Six central rapid response teams of this Ministry are assisting the State health authorities in containment operations in the affected areas.

· Birbhum:

Ø The surveillance teams are conducting active surveillance in 0-3 Km area and in 3-10 Km Zone.
Ø The Surveillance teams are covering a population of 24,438 on daily basis in 0-3 Km area.
Ø In 3-10 Km area is covered in phases. On 21.1.2008 they have covered a population of 7,992.
Ø During the survey the teams have found 613 persons having Fever/URI
Ø No suspected human cases of Avian Influenza has been detected

On 21.1.2008 a total of 443 animal health workers [veterinary surgeon, poultry workers, cullers, spraying workers etc.] 190 Health personnel [medical officers, health supervisors and health workers] and 5 hospital staff have been medically examined. The personnel involved in the containment operations are under the cover of Tamiflu and are under medical supervision.

· In South Dinajpur District:

Ø Culling operations are underway in the affected areas.
Ø In 0-3 Km area population of 44,668 have been surveyed on 21.1.2008.
Ø During the survey the teams have found 43 persons having Fever/URI
Ø A total of 277 animal health workers [veterinary surgeon, poultry workers, cullers, spraying workers etc.] and 187 Health personnel [medical officers, health supervisors and health workers] and 92 hospital staff have been medically examined. The personnel involved in the containment operations are under the cover of Tamiflu and are under medical supervision.
Ø No suspected human cases of Avian Influenza have been detected.
Ø 5 outreach treatment centres in Balurghat block have started from 20.1.2008
Ø A six bed isolation ward and a special OPD has been started at Balurghat District Hospital.

· Murshidabad District:

Ø Culling operations are underway.
Ø A population of 17360 in 0-3 Km area has been surveyed on 21.1.2008. is 19652 and between 3-10 Km area the population of 605 have been covered.
Ø During the survey the teams have found 131 persons having Fever/URI
Ø A total of 130 animal health workers [veterinary surgeon, poultry workers, cullers, spraying workers etc.] and 55 Health personnel [medical officers, health supervisors and health workers] and 16 hospital staff have been medically examined. The personnel involved in the containment operations are under the cover of Tamiflu and are under medical supervision.

· Nadia District:

Ø Culling operations have started.
Ø In 0-3 km area, out of a total population of 19,700 the teams have covered 2,648 on 21.1.2008.
Ø In 3-10 Km area, out of total population of 70,000 the teams have covered 3,665 on 21.1.2008.
Ø During the survey the teams have found 100 persons having Fever/URI
Ø A total of 170 animal health workers [veterinary surgeon, poultry workers, cullers, spraying workers etc.] and 90 Health personnel [medical officers, health supervisors and health workers] and 18 hospital staff have been medically examined. The personnel involved in the containment operations are under the cover of Tamiflu and are under medical supervision.

· Burdwan District

Ø Culling operations are going on
Ø In 0-3 km area, out of a total population of 44,742 the teams have covered 33,049 on 21.1.2008.
Ø In 3-10 Km area, out of total population of 887233 the teams have covered 3476 on 21.1.2008.
Ø During the survey the teams have found 58 persons having Fever/URI
Ø A total of 288 animal health workers [veterinary surgeon, poultry workers, cullers, spraying workers etc.] and 43 Health personnel [medical officers, health supervisors and health workers]. The personnel involved in the containment operations are under the cover of Tamiflu and are under medical supervision.

· The 5 clinical samples received from South Dinajpur have been tested negative for Influenza virus.

· MOHFW has supplied 1,20,000 capsules of Tamiflu, 5000 personal protective equipments, 5000 N-95 masks and 5 ventilators. This is in addition to 10 ventilators and 10 semi automatic analysers supplied earlier.

The situation is being monitored on a daily basis.

http://mohfw.nic.in/Status%20Rep...-22.1.2008.doc

[Dutchy]

India admits falling behind in bird flu battle

By Sailendra Sil AFP -

MARGRAM, India (AFP) - India's West Bengal admitted on Wednesday it was falling behind in its battle against bird flu as the virus spread to more than half the densely populated state.

Despite reinforcements from neighbouring states, at least 1,000 more vets and doctors were needed to help fight the poultry virus outbreak that began over a week ago, state animal resources minister Anisur Rahaman said.

"We don't have the infrastructure to battle this epidemic. Bird flu is spreading to new areas. Thousands of chickens are dropping dead every day," he told AFP.

Hundreds more culling teams had been sent to 10 districts where bird flu had been confirmed, but not all of them were accompanied by doctors, he said. West Bengal has 19 districts.

"We've asked neighbouring states to send at least 1,000 veterinary and human doctors," said Rahaman. "We've urged the federal government to send expert teams and doctors to assess the situation and help the culling teams."

The previous target of culling two million birds had been raised to 2.2 million "in the next seven days as the disease has spread to two more districts," he said. Nearly 400,000 birds have already been killed.

The new outbreak -- the third and worst to hit India -- began in Margram village, 240 kilometres (150 miles) from the state capital Kolkata.

India has so far not had any human cases of bird flu but Rahaman said he feared the disease would spread to humans with hundreds of people reporting flu symptoms in the state of 80 million.

"Naked children are playing with chickens in courtyards in affected villages. Chickens are roaming in the kitchen while women are cooking. It's a very worrisome situation," he said.

"Reports keep pouring in that many people in flu-affected districts are suffering fever, cold and cough," state health minister Surya Kanta Mishra added. Humans with bird flu exhibit similar symptoms.


- snip -

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/afp/2008012...a-4aa7bf8.html

[HenryN]

AVIAN INFLUENZA – NO HUMANS AFFECTED – SITUATIONAL REPORT AS ON 23-1-2008
	11:42 IST

Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries, Govt. of India has notified Avian Influenza in poultry in a number of blocks spread over nine districts, namely Birbhum, Dakshin Dinajpur, Murshidabad, Nadia, Bankura, Malda, Cooch behar, Burdwan and Hoogly. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) initiated a series of actions to assist the state in the containment operations and restrict further spread of the disease. Senior Officials from this Ministry were deputed to review the situation with State Health Authorities. The contingency plan of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has been implemented in affected districts. Seven Central Rapid Response Teams are assisting the State in containment operations. In all the affected areas, active human surveillance is being undertaken in the 0-3 Km zone and being further stepped up in 3-10 Km area. Persons having Upper Respiratory Infection [URI]/ Fever are being monitored. Health care facilities have been identified with isolation ward and critical care facilities for management of human cases of Avian Influenza. The animal health staff involved in the culling and sanitization operations and those involved in human health surveillance are being provided chemoprophylaxis and their health status is being monitored. No suspected human cases of Avian Influenza have been detected. Five samples tested so far have been reported negative. MOHFW has supplied 1,20,000 capsules of Oseltamivir, 5000 personal protective equipments, 5000 N-95 masks and 5 ventilators. This is in addition to 10 ventilators and 10 semi automatic analyzers supplied earlier. An additional supply of 1,00,000 capsules of Oseltamivir, 100 bottles of Oseltsamivir syrup and 5 ventilators have been sent on 23.01.2008. There is adequate stock of Oseltamivir and Personal Protection Equipments to meet further requirements. States of Jharkhand, Bihar and Assam that share a common border with West Bengal have been instructed to ban and prevent any entry of poultry or poultry related products from West Bengal into these States. Other States have also been put on alert. MOHFW has deputed Central teams to the states of Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and other North Eastern States to review the level of preparedness and fill critical gaps. The preparedness of the districts bordering West Bengal is also being reviewed through videoconference with state/ district authorities. MOHFW has initiated IEC campaign to sensitize the community through the visual and print media. This includes broadcast of spots on private and Government owned FM channels in West Bengal. The spots are also scheduled to be broadcast 5-6 times before and between popular programmes and the National News broadcast during morning and late evening hours in the States of Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Rajasthan, Orissa, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. Telecast of campaign on Avian Influenza through Doordarshan Kendras of Patna, Ranchi, Kolkatta and Guwahati has been initiated. A control room is functioning from the Emergency Medical Relief division of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in New Delhi from 8.00 AM to 8.00 PM. The control room number is 23061469. Daily status reports are being web hoisted and could be accessed at www.mohfw.nic.in.

http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=34847