Bhiwani, Jan 31: The presence of bird flu has been ruled out in Haryana after post-mortem concluded that the chicken deaths in Bhiwani were caused due to intestinal infection and not bird flu.
This has been asserted by a top official of the state Animal Husbandry Department and the state government has also claimed that the deaths were not due to bird flu.
An official of the Haryana Agricultural Department has stated that the Department had probed the cause of death of the chickens and brought the sample. After preliminary investigation it was discovered that the infections were respiratory in nature caused due to drastic fall in the temperature in the state. Therefore, based on this, experts have so far negated the possibility of bird flu here.
Varanasi bans chicken trade, sale
Meanwhile the administration in Varanasi has banned chicken trade particularly the purchase of chicken from West Bengal. The sale also has been halted in the markets of the city as a precautionary step.
Sources also state that it has been decided to thoroughly check the trains coming from West Bengal to ensure that the ban is adhered to. This pronouncement has come a day after chicken being smuggled from West Bengal was seized at the Rourkela railway station.
Bird flu scare in Darjeeling
However Darjeeling was gripped by bird flu scare today where 38 chicken were found dead yesterday even as culling operations continued in the affected West Bengal districts. Darjeeling magistrate Rajesh Pandey confirmed the chicken deaths which occurred at Takdah village.
Blood samples have been sent to a laboratory for testing and the administration would chalk out an action plan after getting the result, he said.
Meanwhile, the state Animal Husbandry Ministry has raised the culling target to 27 lakh following death of about 4,000 chicken in North 24 Parganas district bordering Kolkata yesterday.
Although the district was not yet declared affected, culling operation has been undertaken as a preventive measure.
"As the target area is increasing every day it is impossible to say how many chicken will have to be killed," Animal Resource Development (ARD) Minister Anisur Rehman said.
The minister said so far there was no case of human infection. "We have sent more than 3500 human samples and none have tested positive."
Avian Flu Spreads, West Bengal To Cull 2.55 Million Birds (Roundup)
Thursday 31st of January 2008
With the avian flu spreading to new areas in West Bengal, the government announced Thursday that it would end up culling a whopping 2.8 million poultry birds by Saturday.
'We had culled about 2.55 million birds by Wednesday. We hope to complete the rest in two more days,' Animal Resource Development Minister Anisur Rahman said.
The authorities continued to maintain that the deadly virus that has gripped the length and breadth of West Bengal had not infected human beings in the state since it was detected Jan 15.
Health Minister Surya Kanta Mishra said 18 samples had undergone laboratory tests and that about 1.8 million people in the affected regions were under the scanner for possible infection.
'We are quarantining the cullers for a certain time and administering them Tamiflu,' he said.
Minister Rahman said all poultry and egg sellers would be compensated for the loss and each family losing chickens and ducks to culling or to deaths from the virus would get Rs.500.
Reports from the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL) in Bhopal confirmed that samples from Suri I block in Birbhum districts, Raghunathganj II in Murshidabad district and Chanditala II in Hooghly district close to Kolkata had tested positive for avian influenza.
Hooghly District Magistrate Vinod Kumar confirmed the outbreak in Hutpur village, barely 20 km from Kolkata. Areas affected by bird flu now ring the city of 15 million, creating a real scare.
The HSADL is yet to confirm reports of bird flu spreading to Baduria area in Kolkata's adjoining North 24-Parganas district but the government has said that the deadly H5N1 strain has been found in the samples taken from there.
Officials in New Delhi said that among the 1.6 million people surveyed, teams of healthcare personnel had detected 3,700 people with signs of upper respiratory infection such as cold, cough and fever.
Only 28 of them have had a history of exposure to poultry. However, none of these people had symptoms of avian influenza like lung infection, breathlessness or lung patches visible on X-ray.
Under widespread attack for not acting fast, the government is desperately trying to contain the bird flu's spread.
Villagers in Bajitpur, Parchandrahat and Chattaparulia in Birbhum's Mayureswar-I block, which is affected by bird flu, reportedly exhumed culled poultry birds Monday and marched to the panchayat office seeking interim relief of Rs.500 for each family.
The culled birds were again buried in the trenches at the intervention of the police, who issued a stern warning that anyone found exhuming dead birds would be arrested.
Bird flu was confirmed in West Bengal Jan 15. The affected districts are South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, Birbhum, South Dinajpur, Murshidabad, Nadia, Burdwan, Bankura, Malda, Cooch Behar, Purulia and West Midnapore.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has described the West Bengal situation as 'serious'.
In neighbouring Bangladesh, which shares a long border with West Bengal, bird flu has affected 29 out of 64 districts. The Bangladesh authorities declared the outbreak Jan 3.
Centre asks Haryana to send samples of dead poultry
New Delhi (PTI): With reports of a few hundred chicken dying in a poultry farm in Haryana, the Centre has asked the state government to send samples of dead poultry for testing for the deadly bird flu virus.
The Haryana government has informed us that a few hundred birds have died in a poultry farm in Jind district of the state, Union Animal Husbandry Secretary Pradeep Kumar told reporters here on Thursday.
"Though the state government got the samples tested at the Agricultural University there, which showed no Bird flu virus was present in them, we have asked them to send the samples to HSADL, Bhopal, for further testing," Kumar said.
According to the Haryana government, the poultry died due to E. Coli bacterial infection, he added.
"The number of chickens dead in Haryana farm is 500-600 out of a total population of 10,000," he said.
On reports of birds being culled in Uttar Pradesh, Kumar said the Animal Husbandry department has asked the Railways to ensure that no poultry is transported from West Bengal to any state.
Centre asks Haryana to send samples of dead poultry
New Delhi (PTI): With reports of a few hundred chicken dying in a poultry farm in Haryana, the Centre has asked the state government to send samples of dead poultry for testing for the deadly bird flu virus.
The Haryana government has informed us that a few hundred birds have died in a poultry farm in Jind district of the state, Union Animal Husbandry Secretary Pradeep Kumar told reporters here on Thursday.
"Though the state government got the samples tested at the Agricultural University there, which showed no Bird flu virus was present in them, we have asked them to send the samples to HSADL, Bhopal, for further testing," Kumar said.
According to the Haryana government, the poultry died due to E. Coli bacterial infection, he added.
"The number of chickens dead in Haryana farm is 500-600 out of a total population of 10,000," he said.
On reports of birds being culled in Uttar Pradesh, Kumar said the Animal Husbandry department has asked the Railways to ensure that no poultry is transported from West Bengal to any state.
Strictly speaking avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) are E. coli strain that can cause disease in birds of various ages : septicaemia, chronic respiratory disease, vitellus infection, salpyngitidis, peritonitis, chronic skin infections, osteomyelitis, swollen head syndrome, … Today nevertheless, APEC represent E. coli strains causing invasive infection of poultry (chickens and turkeys), more especially of broilers, with the respiratory tract as portal of entry : septicaemia, peritonitis, perihepatitis, air sacculitis, osteomyelitis, … This presentation will therefore focus on the pathogenesis and virulence properties of these particular invasive strains....
Bird Flu within short radius Kolkata
Hooghly, Jan 31 (UNI) The dreaded avian influenza took another step towards Kolkata, even as the government is taking steps to block all gateways to the city, with confirmation of the outbreak at Hatpur village under Chanditala police station here some 20 km from the metropolis. District Magistrate Vinod Kumar said here today that several birds had died of unnatural causes in the area, following which, the blood samples were sent for tests and the authorities confirmed that the dreaded disease had taken another village in its grip, thus inching closer towards the West Bengal capital.
Bird flu scare in Darjeeling hills
Friday February 1 2008 00:00 IST PTI
KOLKATA: Bird flu scare today gripped Darjeeling where 38 chicken were found dead even as culling operations continued in the 13 affected districts of West Bengal.
Darjeeling Magistrate Rajesh Pandey said 38 chicken died at Takdah village of Darjeeling district in north Bengal on Wednesday night.
Blood samples have been sent to a laboratory for testing and the administration would chalk out an action plan after getting the result, he said.
As many as 5.80 lakh birds have been culled in Murshidabad district so far with 50,000 remaining to be eliminated, said District Magistrate Subir Bhadra. Culling was mostly done in Samserganj, Beldanga and Kandi block areas.
Ninety per cent culling was over in West Midnapore district where bird flu was spotted in Debra block, district officials said. However, rains and intense cold were hampering the culling work, they said.
Meanwhile, the state animal husbandry ministry has raised the culling target to 27 lakh following death of about 4,000 chicken in North 24 Parganas district bordering Kolkata Wednesday.
Although the district was not yet declared affected, culling operation has been undertaken as a preventive measure.
Culling figure revised as fresh areas affected in WB
Friday February 1 2008 00:00 IST PTI
KOLKATA: The figure for culling poultry in West Bengal was on Thursday revised to 28 lakh as the avian influenza spread to one block each in Birbhum and Murshidabad districts, while Darjeeling reported chicken deaths for the first time.
Fresh birdflu was confirmed in Rajapukur village in Birbhum's Suri-1 block and Raghnathganj block-2 in Murshidbad, district officials said.
Culling will begin in these areas from Friday. In Darjeeling, 38 chickens were found dead in a poultry in Takdah village, sparking fear of the spread of H5n1 virus, district magistrate Rajesh Pandey said.
In north 24 Parganas, which also was unaffected, 46,000 chickens were culled after symptoms of the disease surfaced in the past two days, district magistrate Prabhat Mishra said. The blocks where chicken deaths occurred were Baduria, Swarupnagar and Habra-1. In south 24 Parganas, an affected district, 250 more chickens died at a private poultry having 5,000 birds at Maheshtala in addition to 300 on Wednesday. The report of the samples were yet to be received, district magistrate Sanghamitra Ghosh said. Culling was completed during the day in Purulia, West Midnapore, Howrah and was to be completed in Nadia and Malda districts by Friday.
Earlier culling was completed in Burdwan, Uttar Dinajpur, Dakshin Dinajpur.
A report from Birbhum said there was resentment among animal husbandry department men engaged in culling as they were only being provided masks and not plastics gloves, shoes and aprons as earlier.
District ARD officer N D Bhowmick said masks were more important and these were being provided, though plastic gloves, aprons and shoes had been given earlier.
In Hooghly district where culling operations were to be taken up tomorrow at Satpukur Chanditollah, officials said the men were not taking the Tamil flu drug, which was necessary before operations.
They said poor consumption of the drug could be estimated from the fact that only 13,200 tablets were taken though over 33,000 were sent.
Meanwhile, the West Bengal government said that compensation would be paid to those whose birds had died or would have to be culled, besides affected egg traders.
Earlier those whose birds had died and egg traders were not entitled to compensation. For this two committees would function at the district and block levels under the district magistrate and BDO, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said.
Poultry farmers who did not fall within the affected district would not be paid compensation, animal resources development Minister Anisur Rahaman told reporters after the Chief Minister held a video conference with the district magistrates of the 13 bird flu affected districts to review the situation and assess the extent of loss.
Rahaman said there was no case of human infection so far.
Kolkata/New Delhi, Jan. 31: Bird flu scare on Thursday gripped West Bengal’s tourist spot of Darjeeling with the death of some chicken and Uttar Pradesh’s Shahjahanpur district, where over 2,500 birds were culled, even as the Centre said it will explore the possibility of seeking US help for medicines and other preventive equipment.
On the other hand, West Bengal animal resource development minister Anisur Rehman said "as the target area is increasing every day it is impossible to say how many chicken will have to be killed (in the state)". However, there was no case of human infection, he said.
The ministry has raised the culling target to 27 lakhs following death of about 4,000 chicken in North 24 Parganas district bordering Kolkata on Wednesday. Despite the state government’s repeated assurance that birdflu was under control, the disease appears to be creeping towards Kolkata with 500 chicken dying of suspected avian flu in the past three days in a poultry in Mahestala municipality, five km from the city.
In UP’s Shahjahanpur, the chicken were part of a consignment from West Bengal’s Burdwan district and had arrived in Varanasi on Wednesday, officials said.
One person has been detained by the police in this connection and authorities have been put on alert.
Darjeeling magistrate Rajesh Pandey said 38 chicken died at Takdah village in north Bengal on Wednesday night. The blood samples have been sent for testing and the administration would chalk out an action plan after getting results.
Union minister Mukherjee said India requires US’ support if "there is some new medicine or some technological thing like equipment or medicines or chemicals available which can prevent" the outbreak of birdflu. Mr Mukherjee, however, said the government was not contemplating asking the US for help in containing the outbreak, as "...We do not require their support for culling".
He said West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya has assured him that the situation was under control in a large number of areas.
Meanwhile, the West Bengal government brought egg traders those whose birds had died or culled within the ambit of compensation benefit.
ARD minister Rahaman said assistance would be provided to affected self help groups if they are interested in continuing rearing poultry.
Around 18.5 lakh people are involved in poultry farming in the state, he said. In the state’s Murshidabad district, nearly 5.80 lakh birds have been culled with 50,000 remaining to be eliminated, officials said. Ninety per cent culling was over in west Midnapore district where bird flu was spotted in Debra block, district officials said. In Coochbehar, nearly 50,000 affected birds were killed. Samples from Mahestala near Kolkata have been sent to the National Institute of Virology in Bhopal for tests. (PTI)
Two more birds found dead at Maharabi Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, January 31: After carcasses of seven Uchek Meishangbi (a species of Magpie) and four Khoining (Bulbul) were collected by officials of the Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Department from Maharabi village in Imphal West district yesterday, two carcasses of Khoining and Urok were also recovered in the same area today.
Speaking to The Sangai Express, Veterinary Director Dr Th Dorendra informed that a doctor of the Department will be sent to the high security Animal Disease Laboratory, Bhopal tomorrow with samples of the dead birds collected in the last 48 hours.
He said that extra preventive measures are being taken up in the State following outbreak of bird flu in West Bengal.
Since the surveillance operation was launched, there has been no case of any unnatural death of chicken or duck in the State, he conveyed.
Even as the Government of West Bengal has asked for veterinary experts to help in combating bird flu in West Bengal, the State Department of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry is unable to spare any experts due to shortage of manpower in the Department, Dr Dorendra informed.
Department officials have also started collecting blood samples of poultry birds reared in Maharabi where carcasses of wild birds were found.
On the other hand, the Department is continuing its awareness programmes on bird flu.
Under the programme, an awareness campaign on bird flu was held today at Lilong.
Published on Fri, Feb 01, 2008 at 00:20, Updated at Fri, Feb 01, 2008 in Nation section
New Delhi: Despite the bird flu cases reported in West Bengal, ongoing culling operations in Bihar and rumours and scares aplenty in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi has not quite given into the fear of the virus.
In fact, chicken prices, which have fallen in several other cities, are still as high as Rs 85 a kilo in the capital.
Except for some small-time traders who faced a setback initially, traders say that the bird flu scare has not affected poultry sales.
Chicken remains popular in households with the awareness that chicken cooked at temperatures over 75 degrees is safe.
Says homemaker Sangeeta Chadha,”We love chicken and eat it everyday. I just boil it for longer now, but nothing has changed.”
Restaurants, too, still feature numerous chicken dishes on the menu, a far cry from the bird flu scare of previous years.
“Customers do ask us sometimes, just to be safe, but we assure them that we get it from Ghazipur, where everything is checked properly,” explains the owner of Karim’s restaurant, Moin-ud-din Ahmed. “Our customers have been eating with the same zest as before.”
Clearly, warnings of bird flu hitting other states have not affected the appetites of Delhi’s chicken-lovers.
Avian Influenza in West Bengal
MEA in favour of US aid to combat bird flu
Courtesy TIMESNOW
JANUARY 31 : The Indian Government has decided to seek US help in containing the outbreak of Bird Flu with the Ministry of External Affairs ‘accepting’ US Amabassador David Mulford’s offer to help which means US expertise will now be put into use in Left-controlled West Bengal which has been worst hit by the dreaded Avian Influenza.
Highly places sources have told TIMESNOW that the MEA has asked the Health Ministry and the Agriculture Ministry to work on a request for help.
A detailed list of requirements is being readied by the two ministries to ensure that India is not on the brink of combatting an epidemic or worse, human infections by the H5N1 strain.
The Agricultural Ministry, sources say is considering looking at a vaccine for birds that is manufactured by an American firm.
A long term mitigation strategy may also be in the offing, as also a request for TamiFlu vaccines to ensure that humans are not affected.
The Left-ruled West Bengal will be the first to get aid from the United States when the request comes through, since Buddha’s Bengal has been the worst hit by the outbreak.
What started as an isolated outbreak just over 10 days ago has now brought the State down to its knees. The Avian flu was first reported in Bengal’s Birbhum district on January 15 and has now spread to 13 out of 19 districts.
Most alarmingly Bird Flu is now at Kolkata’s doorstep with chicken deaths here being reported from Budge Budge village just 40 kilometres away from the State capital.
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Bangla dumps dead birds, fresh threat
A fresh threat of further spread of Bird Flu has been reported by a BSF team. According to the reports, Bangladesh is dumping dead poultry in the no-mans land between West Bengal and Bangladesh, TIMESNOW reported.
Bangladesh itself is grapping with the virus with 29 districts in the country reeling under the Bird Flu virus.
The Indian government has urged Bangadesh to evolve a a joint system of disposing dead poultry from Bird Flu affected areas in both the countries on the Indo-Bangla border so that population on either side does not get infected.
Meanwhile, Bird Flu was confirmed in more areas of West Bengal on Thursday (January 31) with samples from more blocks in Bir-bhum, Murshidabad and Hooghly districts testing positive at the
HSADL, Bhopal. A total mortality of 1,30,170 poultry deaths have been reported from the affected districts. The state estimates that 28 lakh birds would be culled over a period of 2-3 days and around 23.23 lakh birds have already been culled. The culling process has already been completed in six districts
While most of the news in this thread relates to poultry infections in the state of West Bengal, there are some reports of other dead poultry and birds in other areas of India.
Post # 183 states 13 districts in West Bengal have outbreaks, and Post #217 states that Darjeeling District is now affected.
Thousands of birds are reported dying in the Bihwani District of the state of Haryana, but initial tests indicate that these birds are not dying of H5N1. See thread: http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=52329
Post #194, #206, and #219: Shahjahanpur District in the State of Uttar Pradesh.
Post #196 and #220: Imphal West District in the State of Manipur.
Map of districts in India with confirmed or suspects avian influenza in bird and poultry.
Chicken deaths have been reported from Jalpaiguri district, which was so far free from bird-flu, even as culling operations continued in the other affected regions of the state on Friday.
Three hundred chicks were reported dead at Baganbari village in Falakata area of Jalpaiguri, Falakata panchayat samity president Lily Chakraborty said.
An FIR was lodged and samples from the poultry sent for testing the presence of H5N1 virus.
In Darjeeling where chicken deaths were reported from Takdah village yesterday, District Magistrate Rajesh Pandey said the report on the samples was still awaited and no culling was being carried out.
Kolkata (PTI): Chicken deaths have been reported from Jalpaiguri district, which was so far free from bird-flu, even as culling operations continued in the other affected regions of the state on Friday.
Three hundred chicks were reported dead at Baganbari village in Falakata area of Jalpaiguri, Falakata panchayat samity president Lily Chakraborty said.
An FIR was lodged and samples from the poultry sent for testing the presence of H5N1 virus.
In Darjeeling where chicken deaths were reported from Takdah village yesterday, District Magistrate Rajesh Pandey said the report on the samples was still awaited and no culling was being carried out.
Darjeeling municipality announced a ban on the sale of chicken and poultry products and asked people to desist from consuming them.
In worst-affected Birbhum the work to destroy chicken was taken up at Rajapukur, a new area to be affected by the disease as well as in Suri municipal area, official sources said at Suri. The culling figure in the district was the highest at over 9.6 lakh while that in the state was yesterday revised to 28 lakh.
After recovery of dead wild birds, vety dept on bird flu alert The Imphal Free Press
IMPHAL, Jan 31:The state veterinary and animal husbandry services have gone on the alert following reports of unnatural deaths of wild birds during the last few days in the vicinity of Maharabi village, under Sekmai police station in Imphal west district.
As per official reports, at least eight local and migratory wild birds have been found dead at Maharabi village in the past three days. Out of this three dead birds have been collected by a veterinary department team yesterday and today.
Official sources said the dead carcass of a bulbul (khoining), was handed over by villagers to the veterinary team yesterday, while the carcasses of a dead urok and another bulbul were recovered from the same village today.
Dr Th Doren, director, veterinary and animal husbandry, said a rapid response team has also collected samples from domesticated birds, primarily poultry, being reared by the villagers today.
The collected samples will be sent to the high security laboratory at Bhopal tomorrow, accompanied by a specialist of the department in order to test for the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza.
The discovery of dead wild birds in the state assume added significance in light of the outbreak of bird flu in West Bengal.
As per the latest reports, bird flu has spread to at least 13 out of 19 districts of West Bengal
The Union ministry of agriculture, veterinary and animal husbandry, and fisheries, has already sounded a red alert all over the country following the West Bengal outbreak.
According to the veterinary director, in compliance with instructions from the Centre, the state government has taken up special precautionary measures to prevent avian influenza spreading into the state.
Apart from other measures, import of poultry products from outside the state has been banned, and the veterinary department has opened check posts at various entry points to prevent such imports.
The director said due to delays in communications with the hill districts, the figures for unnatural deaths of migratory/wild birds in the state as a whole cannot be immediately updated, a rapid response team is ready to take necessary action in case further unnatural deaths of birds are reported anywhere.
It may be mentioned, the state faced its own outbreak of bird flu in July last year, leading to massive culling of birds in the Imphal area. After a series of follow-up operations and surveillance lasting for some three months, the state was finally declared bird-flu free in November.
UP = Uttar Pradesh, not West Bengal. Uttar Pradesh is the most populous state in India.
Bird flu spreads to UP; Culling started
Feb 1
In Uttar Pradesh the officials have culled thousands of chickens in Varanasi and Shahjahanpur district supplied from West Bengal. Nearly twenty blood samples of chicken collected at Bareli have been sent to Bhopal laboratory for investigation.
The state government has banned the supply of chicken, eggs and all poultry products from West Bengal to the state with immediate effect. The government has alerted all district authorities in view of the outbreak of bird flu in some parts of West Bengal.
The Director General of medical and health of the state Dr LB Prasad has told our correspondent Sunil Shukla that all the districts authorities and animal husbandry officials has been sounded across the state to keep close eyes on the poultry products coming from west Bengal. He said that steps also have been taken to aware people regarding menace of Bird Flue.
The state government has already been set up a task force to deal with any eventuality and district authorities particularly eastern part of the state have been asked to keep a close watch on the poultry farms.
As a precautionary step, patrolling has also been intensified in the various bird sanctuaries all over the state where migratory birds flock in this season. Authorities have stopped giving eggs and chicken to animals in Zoos as a precautionary measure.
Bird flu: Assam to cull 80,000 poultry along Bengal border
Guwahati, Feb 1 (IANS) The union health ministry Friday raised an alarm in the northeastern state of Assam by asking authorities to cull an estimated 80,000 poultry in villages bordering the bird-flu hit state of West Bengal, officials said.
"We have been asked by the central health ministry to undertake precautionary culling of birds in villages falling within five kilometres of Assam's border with West Bengal," a state veterinary official told IANS.
There are an estimated 100 villages within the five-kilometre radius in Assam's Dhubri and Kokrajhar districts.
"There could be an estimated 80,000 poultry in the area where we have been advised to carry out culling," the official said.
The Assam government has already alerted rapid response teams in the two districts and the culling of birds is expected to begin Saturday.
"There are lots of formalities to be done and by Friday evening or early Saturday we are expecting some equipment from New Delhi for the culling process," the official said.
"There is no need for panic and the culling is being done just as a precautionary measure," he added.
Bird flu has spread to 13 of West Bengal's 19 districts since the outbreak was confirmed Jan 15.
The World Health Organisation fears that the H5N1 strain could mutate into a form easily transmitted between humans and spark a deadly pandemic.
Last year, an outbreak of avian influenza in the northeastern state of Manipur led to the culling of some 200,000 birds.
Meanwhile, the poultry business has already been hit in Assam after the outbreak of bird flu in adjoining West Bengal.
Assam and other northeastern states have already banned the import of poultry from West Bengal.
Chicken deaths have been reported from Jalpaiguri district, which was so far free from bird-flu, even as culling operations continued in the other affected regions of the state today.
Three hundred chicks were reported dead at Baganbari village in Falakata area of Jalpaiguri, Falakata panchayat samity president Lily Chakraborty said.
An FIR was lodged and samples from the poultry sent for testing the presence of H5N1 virus.
In Darjeeling where chicken deaths were reported from Takdah village yesterday, District Magistrate Rajesh Pandey said the report on the samples was still awaited and no culling was being carried out.
Darjeeling municipality announced a ban on the sale of chicken and poultry products and asked people to desist from consuming them.
In worst-affected Birbhum the work to destroy chicken was taken up at Rajapukur, a new area to be affected by the disease as well as in Suri municipal area, official sources said at Suri.
The culling figure in the district was the highest at over 9.6 lakh while that in the state was yesterday revised to 28 lakh.
In Murshidabad district, culling is on at Lokhijola in Raghunathgunj II block, where fresh outbreak of bird flu was reported yesterday.
District authorities said 16,000 chicken was slated to be destroyed there till tomorrow.
Culling work is over in 10 other blocks of the district, where the target is over 6.46 lakh, the sources said.
While reports on chicken samples sent from Habra I, Swarupnagar and Baduria is yet to be received, culling work is on in those places.
Culling also on in South 24 Parganas and Coochebehar districts.
Central observer Bijoy Kumar visited affected Kuchlibari in Mekhliganj subdivision of Coochbehar to oversee culling operations. He also visited Chengrabandha international checkpost and inspected disinfection of vehicles entering the country from Bangladesh.
Destroying of chicken is over in Dinhata I and II blocks and continuing in Mathabhanaga I in the district, additional district magistrate (development) Pannalal Mohapatra said.
Culling operations have already been completed in Purulia, West Midnapore, Howrah and South Dinajpur. Preventive culling was carried out at North Dinajpur district.
At Nadia and Malda districts culling operations are slated to be completed today, official sources said.
AVIAN INFLUENZA – NO HUMANS AFFECTED – SITUATIONAL REPORT AS ON 31-1-2008
15:15 IST
Number of affected districts remains the same. A total population of 18.4 lakhs are under surveillance [10.38 lakhs in 0-3 Km area and 8.00 lakhs in 3-10 Km area]. Total number of URI/Fever cases found is 4,006. Rapid Response Teams of the State Govt. and Govt. of India are involved in the activity. No suspected human cases of Avian Influenza have been detected. The district-wise details on surveillance and health related activities in 0-3 Km area and 3-10 Km area around the epicenters are as under: • Birbhum District
ØThe surveillance teams are conducting active surveillance in 0-3 Km area and in 3-10 Km Zone in the affected blocks ØOut of a population of 3,40,021 in 0-3 Kms of the epicenters in these blocks 3,33,353 have been covered on daily basis. ØOut of a population of 5,04,125 in 3-10 Kms of the epicenters 1,80,206 have been covered. ØA total of 834 persons [489 in 0-3 Km area and 345 in 3-10 km area] with fever/URI have been detected during surveillance. In the identified hospital 299 cases of fever/URI have reported. No one had exposure history to sick/ dead poultry. ØA total of 1269 animal health workers [veterinary surgeon, poultry workers, cullers, spraying workers etc.] have been medically examined/ followed up and 1 has been found unfit. All are under chemoprophylaxis. Ø802 Health personnel [medical officers, health supervisors and health workers] are involved in surveillance activities and they are also under cover of Tamiflu. 19 hospital staff have been examined. ØNo suspected human cases of Avian Influenza have been detected • South Dinajpur District:
ØIn 3-10 Km area, survey is conducted in phases. They have covered a population of 16,724. There had been 32 fever/URI cases in 3-10 Km area. None of them had exposure history. Ø63 Health personnel [medical officers, health supervisors and health workers] have been examined. 25 of them are under chemoprophylaxis. ØNo suspected human cases of Avian Influenza have been detected. • Murshidabad District:
ØA population of 95,260 in 0-3 Km area is under daily surveillance. In 3-10 Km area a population of 80,245 have been covered. ØThere had been 206 persons with Fever/URI. 16 persons had exposure history. They are being followed up. They have no signs of lower respiratory tract infection. Ø97 persons with fever/URI have reported in the hospital.
ØA total of 651 animal health workers [veterinary surgeon, poultry workers, cullers, spraying workers etc.] and 946 Health personnel [medical officers, health supervisors and health workers] and 162 hospital staff have been medically examined. The personnel involved in the containment operations are under the cover of Tamiflu and are under medical supervision. ØNo suspected human cases of Avian Influenza have been detected • Nadia District:
ØIn 0-3 km area the teams have covered a population of 1,69,960 ØIn 3-10 Km area the teams have covered a population of 2,51,100 ØA total of 856 persons [433 in 0-3 Km area and 423 in 3-10 km area] with fever/URI have been detected during surveillance. Seven persons with Fever/ URI had exposure history. They are being followed up. ØIn the hospital 109 persons with fever/URI have reported and none of them had exposure history. One person had exposure history. Two persons having fever/URI, admitted in the hospital and are under observation. ØA total of 1249 animal health workers [veterinary surgeon, poultry workers, cullers, spraying workers etc.] were examined and they are under chemoprophylaxis. 890 Health personnel [medical officers, health supervisors and health workers] and 48 hospital staff have been examined. ØNo suspected human cases of Avian Influenza have been detected ·Burdwan District
ØIn 0-3 km area, out of a total population of 1,64,585 the teams have covered 1,60,585 persons. ØIn 3-10 Km area, out of total population of 10,42,886 the teams have covered a population of 1,80,320. ØThere had been 251 persons [178 in 0-3 Km area and 73 in 3-10 Km area] with URI/ Fever. None of them had exposure history ØIn the hospital 42 persons with fever/URI have reported and none of them had exposure history ØA total of 642 animal health workers [veterinary surgeon, poultry workers, cullers, spraying workers etc.] examined and they are under chemoprophylaxis. 391 Health personnel [medical officers, health supervisors and health workers] have been examined. ØNo suspected human cases of Avian Influenza have been detected • Hooghly District
ØIn 0-3 Km area a population of 30,410 have been covered. ØIn 0-10 Km area, out of a population of 79,716 the teams have covered 27,953. ØA total of 135 persons have been detected [45 in 0-3 km area and 90 in 3-10 km area] with fever/URI with no exposure history. ØIn the hospital 50 persons with fever/ URI have reported. None of them had exposure history. ØA total of 478 animal health workers [veterinary surgeon, poultry workers, cullers, spraying workers etc.] have been examined and they are under chemoprophylaxis. 114 Health personnel [medical officers, health supervisors and health workers] and 28 hospital staff are involved in surveillance activities. • Bankura District [As on 30.1.2008]
ØSurveillance activity has started in 0-3 Km and 3-10 Km area. ØIn 0-3 Km area a population of 9200 has been covered ØIn 3-10 km area a population of 17,671 have been covered ØA total of 36 persons have been detected [7 in 0-3 Km area and 29 in 3-10 km area with fever/URI with no exposure history. ØA total of 140 animal health workers [veterinary surgeon, poultry workers, cullers, spraying workers etc.] and they are under chemoprophylaxis. 18 Health personnel [medical officers, health supervisors and health workers] and 15 hospital staff have also been medically examined. ØIn the area under surveillance no suspected human cases of Avian Influenza have been detected • Howrah District
ØSurveillance activity has started in 0-3 Km and 3-10 Km area. ØIn 0-3 Km area a population of 53,487 and in 3-10 Km the teams have covered 57,261. ØIn 0-3 Km area 13 persons have been found with fever/URI with no exposure history ØIn the hospital 50 persons with fever/ URI have reported. None of them had exposure history ØA total of 511 animal health workers [veterinary surgeon, poultry workers, cullers, spraying workers etc.] and 213 Health personnel [medical officers, health supervisors and health workers] have been examined and are under chemoprophylaxis. • Purulia District [As on 30.1.2008]
ØSurveillance activity has started in 0-3 Km and 3-10 Km area. ØIn 0-3 Km area a population of 3,653 and in 3-10 Km the teams have covered 9,180. Ø63 cases of fever/URI have been detected [18 in 0-3 Km area and 45 in 3-10 Km area]. None of them had exposure history. ØIn the hospital 39 persons with fever/ URI have reported. None of them had exposure history. ØA total of 140 animal health workers [veterinary surgeon, poultry workers, cullers, spraying workers etc.] and 16 Health personnel [medical officers, health supervisors and health workers] are involved in containment operations and they are under chemoprophylaxis. • Malda District
ØSurveillance activity has started in 0-3 Km and 3-10 Km area. ØIn 0-3 Km area a population of 33,532 have been covered. In 3-10 Km the teams have covered 45,566. Ø667 cases of fever/URI have been detected [384 in 0-3 Km area and 283 in 3-10 Km area]. 9 persons had exposure history. They are being followed up. ØA total of 440 animal health workers [veterinary surgeon, poultry workers, cullers, spraying workers etc.] The personnel in containment operations are under chemoprophylaxis.
• 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 supplied 4,20,000 capsules of Tamiflu, 5000 personal protective equipments, 5000 N-95 masks and 20 ventilators and 150 bottles of Tamiflu syrup. • A stock of 10,000 Tamiflu and 500 PPE have been sent to the States of Assam, Bihar and Jharkhand. • The IEC campaign initiated by MOHFW as stated in the earlier reports is continuing.
• Central RRTs have been deployed to all the districts. Trained Rapid Response teams from Gujarat and Goa have been deployed to the affected areas. The team from Maharashtra has been assigned the task of reviewing the preparedness in the unaffected districts of Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling and North Dinajpur. • The manpower under Pulse-Polio programme supported by WHO has been requested to conduct surveillance for reporting influenza like illness in the districts adjoining affected areas of West Bengal. This includes the bordering districts of Assam, Jharkhand, Bihar, Tripura and Orissa. • The situation is being monitored on a daily basis. 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. KR/SK/Avian Influenza - 214
India isolates 26 people as bird flu spreads in Asia
01 Feb 2008 11:42:43 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Bappa Majumdar KOLKATA, India, Feb 1 (Reuters) -
India has put 26 people in isolation with bird flu symptoms and hundreds more people are being monitored, officials said on Friday as Pakistan and Thailand reported outbreaks of bird flu in poultry. India is battling its worst outbreak of avian influenza, which has spread to 13 of West Bengal's 19 districts. The densely populated state is adjacent to Bangladesh, itself trying to control a major outbreak of bird flu, and has millions of backyard fowl. India has not reported any human infection of the H5N1 bird flu virus in its four outbreaks of avian influenza since 2006.
"The preliminary tests for bird flu are negative, but more tests are being conducted and the list of sick people reviewed every day," R.S. Shukla, a senior health official, told Reuters. To the west in neighbouring Pakistan, authorities said bird flu had been detected at a poultry farm on the outskirts of its biggest city, Karachi. But officials said on Friday there was no likelihood of any human infection.
"We are now monitoring the workers on the farm as well as another one adjacent to it," said an official of the Sindh provincial government.
In Thailand, the virus has been found in a second province in the north. Tests confirmed the outbreak in Phichit, 345 km (215 miles) north of Bangkok, where about 30 village chickens died last week, Livestock Development Department chief Sakchai Sriboonsue said. There were four outbreaks in Thailand last year, but no new reports of human infections in the country where H5N1 has killed 17 people since 2003.
In Indonesia, 102 people have died of the disease. In the latest case, the health ministry said on Friday a woman who had lived near a poultry slaughterhouse on the outskirts of the capital Jakarta died of multiple-organ failure. The woman, 31, is the seventh person to die of bird flu in Indonesia this year and some experts say the flare-up is caused by a combination of factors such as rainy weather and poor sanitation. Not including the latest death, bird flu has killed 224 people in a dozen countries since late 2003, the World Health Organisation says.
MEDICAL WORKERS AT RISK
In West Bengal, veterinary staff have culled 2.6 million birds, completing what officials said was a successful operation that had brought the bird flu situation under control. The focus now is on hundreds of medical and veterinary workers and villagers who had come into close contact with dead or sick birds. Officials said health staff returning home after the culling operation had been asked to get themselves checked.
Dozens of isolation wards had been created in hospitals in the affected districts to handle any sudden rush of suspected human cases. Experts fear the H5N1 strain could mutate into a form easily transmitted from person to person, leading to a pandemic, especially in countries such as India where people live in close proximity to backyard poultry. Health experts also worry about the situation in Bangladesh, a crowded country of 140 million people where bird flu has spread to nearly half of the country's 64 districts.
Livestock officials said bird flu was still spreading and had resurfaced in the Feni district southeast of Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka. The government has ordered culling of all chickens and ducks in one kilometre radius around affected farms. The virus is threatening the livelihoods of millions of people reliant on the country's poultry industry and driving up food prices. "Now we are facing a critical situation, as bird flu struck at a time when commodity prices from rice, flour to milk powder and edible oil had already nearly doubled," said Shahedul Alam, a government employee.
Chicken prices in markets in the capital dropped 25 percent over the past two weeks, while the price of eggs has fallen 20 percent or more. Bird flu has also meant trouble for parts of India's poultry business. Egg exports from the world's second largest producer have dropped about 50 percent in the past two weeks, leaving the industry with losses of around $20 million, trade officials said. (Additional reporting by Ruma Paul in Dhaka, Panarat Thepgumpanat in Bangkok, Faisal Aziz in Karachi and Mita Valina Liem in Jakarta; Writing by David Fogarty; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)
Panicky West Bengal farm culls birds
By IANS, Feb 1, 2008 - 1:56:36 PM
Kolkata, Feb 1 - Panic is the buzzword in avian-flu hit West Bengal. Overzealous workers at a poultry farm have culled their chickens without even informing the authorities, officials said Friday.
Workers at a poultry farm in Falakata town of Jalpaiguri district, about 750 km north of here, culled and buried their chickens following some unnatural deaths.
'We have conflicting reports from this farm Thursday night. Some said 500 birds had died while some said 200. What we gathered is that they panicked and culled the birds and buried them without informing us,' Jalpaiguri District Magistrate R. Ranjit told IANS.
'Our men have gone there and will collect the samples. We will also exhume the dead birds as it is possible that the birds were killed for compensation money,' Ranjit said Friday.
West Bengal Animal Resource Development Minister Anisur Rahman Friday said he was awaiting a detailed report on the incident. 'I have asked my department to enquire into it,' Rahman told IANS.
West Bengal has culled over 2.55 million poultry birds in 13 districts and has pledged to reach the target of 2.8 million by Saturday.
Rahman said culling had been completed in most of the major bird flu affected districts and the situation was now under control.
Kolkata Municipal Corporation - chief medical officer Deb Dwaipayan Chattopadhyay said at least a dozen farms are allowed to sell poultry products in the city. He asked people to consume chickens without panic.
A report of possible bird flu outbreak in North 24 Parganas' Baduria, about 50 km from here, is yet to be confirmed, the authorities said.
Earlier, Rahman said all poultry farmers and egg sellers would be compensated for their losses and each family losing birds to culling or deaths from the H5N1 virus would be given Rs.500.
Bird flu was confirmed in West Bengal Jan 15. The affected districts are South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, Birbhum, South Dinajpur, Murshidabad, Nadia, Burdwan, Bankura, Malda, Cooch Behar, Purulia and West Midnapore.
The World Health Organisation - has described the bird flu outbreak in West Bengal as 'serious'.
In neighbouring Bangladesh, which shares a long border with West Bengal, bird flu has affected 29 of the 64 districts. The outbreak was announced Jan 3.
Avian flu spreads, West Bengal to cull 2.55 million birds
By IANS, Jan 31, 2008 - 6:45:01 PM
Kolkata, Jan 31 - With the avian flu spreading to new areas in West Bengal, the government announced Thursday that it would end up culling a whopping 2.8 million poultry birds by Saturday.
'We had culled about 2.55 million birds by Wednesday. We hope to complete the rest in two more days,' Animal Resource Development Minister Anisur Rahman said.
The authorities continued to maintain that the deadly virus that has gripped the length and breadth of West Bengal had not infected human beings in the state since it was detected Jan 15.
Health Minister Surya Kanta Mishra said 18 samples had undergone laboratory tests and that about 1.8 million people in the affected regions were under the scanner for possible infection.
'We are quarantining the cullers for a certain time and administering them Tamiflu,' he said.
Minister Rahman said all poultry and egg sellers would be compensated for the loss and each family losing chickens and ducks to culling or to deaths from the virus would get Rs.500.
Reports from the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory - in Bhopal confirmed that samples from Suri I block in Birbhum districts, Raghunathganj II in Murshidabad district and Chanditala II in Hooghly district close to Kolkata had tested positive for avian influenza.
Hooghly District Magistrate Vinod Kumar confirmed the outbreak in Hutpur village, barely 20 km from Kolkata. Areas affected by bird flu now ring the city of 15 million, creating a real scare.
The HSADL is yet to confirm reports of bird flu spreading to Baduria area in Kolkata's adjoining North 24-Parganas district but the government has said that the deadly H5N1 strain has been found in the samples taken from there.
Officials in New Delhi said that among the 1.6 million people surveyed, teams of healthcare personnel had detected 3,700 people with signs of upper respiratory infection such as cold, cough and fever.
Only 28 of them have had a history of exposure to poultry. However, none of these people had symptoms of avian influenza like lung infection, breathlessness or lung patches visible on X-ray.
Under widespread attack for not acting fast, the government is desperately trying to contain the bird flu's spread.
Villagers in Bajitpur, Parchandrahat and Chattaparulia in Birbhum's Mayureswar-I block, which is affected by bird flu, reportedly exhumed culled poultry birds Monday and marched to the panchayat office seeking interim relief of Rs.500 for each family.
The culled birds were again buried in the trenches at the intervention of the police, who issued a stern warning that anyone found exhuming dead birds would be arrested.
Bird flu was confirmed in West Bengal Jan 15. The affected districts are South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, Birbhum, South Dinajpur, Murshidabad, Nadia, Burdwan, Bankura, Malda, Cooch Behar, Purulia and West Midnapore.
The World Health Organisation - has described the West Bengal situation as 'serious'.
In neighbouring Bangladesh, which shares a long border with West Bengal, bird flu has affected 29 out of 64 districts. The Bangladesh authorities declared the outbreak Jan 3.
Flu Spreads, West Bengal to Cull 2.55 Million Birds
Jan 31, 2008 - 6:45:01 PM
Kolkata, Jan 31 - With the avian flu spreading to new areas in West Bengal, the government announced Thursday that it would end up culling a whopping 2.8 million poultry birds by Saturday.
'We had culled about 2.55 million birds by Wednesday. We hope to complete the rest in two more days,' Animal Resource Development Minister Anisur Rahman said.
The authorities continued to maintain that the deadly virus that has gripped the length and breadth of West Bengal had not infected human beings in the state since it was detected Jan 15.
Health Minister Surya Kanta Mishra said 18 samples had undergone laboratory tests and that about 1.8 million people in the affected regions were under the scanner for possible infection.
The days of hand waving have long since past - the international community needs to compel the release of serotype information into the public for epidemiological peer review - immediately.
Bird flu: Centre plans culling in WB's neighbouring states
1 Feb 2008, 2148 hrs IST,PTI
NEW DELHI: Fears of bird flu striking Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana have emerged after death of some birds there even as the Centre said it was planning to start culling operations in West Bengal's neighbouring states to prevent the spread of deadly virus.
Culling would be undertaken in the five kilometre radius of all the affected areas of West Bengal, top officials in the Health Ministry said on Friday.
The five kilometre stretch in West Bengal's neighbouring states would also be brought in the ambit of the culling operation, the officials said, adding the move is preventive in nature.
The move follows a high-level meeting the Union Agriculture Ministry and Health Ministry officials had with officials of Orissa, Jharkhand, Bihar and Assam.
Meanwhile, the reports of death of two migratory birds (bar-headed geese) in Jammu and Kashmir have triggered fears of bird flu in the state.
The samples have been sent to the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL) in Bhopal for testing, Union Animal Husbandry Commissioner S K Bandhopadhyay told reporters.
"There are a total of 10,000 bar-headed geese in Jammu, who migrate from colder climates during winters, and there could be any reason for their death," he said.
Samples have also been sent from Haryana to the HSADL following reports of poultry deaths in the state, he said.
Concerned over the unabated spread of the dreaded H5N1 (bird flu) virus, a working group of the poultry industry has suggested “ring vaccination” and compensation hikes for the culled birds as part of the strategy to contain the menace in West Bengal itself.
There would, otherwise, be a high risk of the virus crossing the state boundaries to Jharkhand, Bihar and other parts of the country, the industry think tank has warned.
The bird flu containment strategy, prepared by the working group headed by former Poultry Federation of India chief Shashi Kapur, has been submitted to Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and animal husbandry department secretary Pradeep Kumar.
Ring vaccination will involve preventive vaccination of all poultry and ducks, including backyard birds, in a belt around the areas where the infection has already taken root.
“Ring vaccination is the same as fighting fire when the adjoining areas are doused with water or foam to prevent the fire from spreading,” explained Kapur.
The strategy also stipulates prompt and higher payment of compensation for the culled birds, broadly citing two reasons: firstly, the low compensation is forcing people to smuggle birds to outside the culling zones; secondly, the keepers of backyard birds, who are among the poorest of the poor, can ill-afford the income loss due to culling and the subsequent mandatory three-month de-populated phase.
The group has suggested enhancing compensation for the less than 10-week old chicken from the present Rs 10 to Rs 20 per bird and for older chicken from Rs 40 to Rs 80.
Similarly, the compensation for the below 10-week old ducks has been suggested to be fixed at Rs 20 and for older ducks at Rs 100 per bird.
The additional total pay-out cost of the raised compensation has been worked out at Rs 9 crore, if around 24 lakh birds are culled. Even if the number of birds to be culled goes up to 40 lakh, the additional cost would be no more than Rs 15 crore.
The total compensation cost for 40 lakh birds would be around Rs 61.74 crore, which would benefit some 30 lakh poor people, according to the group.
Kapur said the situation in West Bengal was similar to Vietnam which has reported the maximum number of human deaths due to H5N1 virus infection.
The density of backyard poultry birds and ducks is almost similar in both these regions (between 384 and 463 poultry birds and 184 ducks per sq km).
But the density of human population is much higher in India (901 persons per sq km) than Vietnam (254 persons per sq kms). This makes India more vulnerable than even Vietnam in some respects.
Vietnam, too, had tried to control H5N1 virus through stamping and culling but did not succeed for over a year. It subsequently resorted to 100 per cent vaccination which sharply brought down the number of disease outbreaks among the poultry. Besides, there has been no death of any human being since then, Kapur pointed out .
February 01, 2008 23:41 IST
Dreaded anthrax seems to be knocking at the doors of West Bengal, which is already battling the outbreak of bird flu.
Signs of anthrax have been found in Malda district of the state with some domestic animals reportedly falling prey to the disease.
District Magistrate Chitta Ranjan Das on Friday said suspected anthrax had claimed about nine cattleheads in the past eight days at English Bazaar locality.
A mysterious disease also killed some 2,000 wild bees in an abandoned house in the same locality, creating panic among local residents, Das said.
Samples have been sent to Bhopal's Animals Diseases Laboratory for tests, the District Magistrate said.
Meanwhile, bird flu scare continued to haunt the Gajole block in the district as about 132 chickens died in the past 24 hours.
Dreaded anthrax seems to be knocking at the doors of West Bengal, which is already battling the outbreak of bird flu.
Signs of anthrax have been found in Malda district of the state with some domestic animals reportedly falling prey to the disease.
District Magistrate Chitta Ranjan Das on Friday said suspected anthrax had claimed about nine cattleheads in the past eight days at English Bazaar locality.
A mysterious disease also killed some 2,000 wild bees in an abandoned house in the same locality, creating panic among local residents, Das said.
Samples have been sent to Bhopal's Animals Diseases Laboratory for tests, the District Magistrate said.
Meanwhile, bird flu scare continued to haunt the Gajole block in the district as about 132 chickens died in the past 24 hours.
As the Central government planned culling operations in West Bengal's neighbouring states to prevent the spread of birdflu, samples of dead birds in Jammu and Kashmir [Images], Haryana and Madhya Pradesh were being tested for the disease while all the zoos in the country were put on alert.
Bird-flu affected West Bengal, meanwhile, faced a potential health hazard on another front amid reports that culling teams were leaving without undergoing the mandatory quarantine.
The state government admitted some lapses and directed that the culling personnel must be quarantined for seven days.
The five kilometre stretch in West Bengal's neighbouring states adjoining the affected areas would be covered under the culling operation, Health ministry officials said in Delhi adding the move is preventive in nature.
The move follows a high-level meeting the Union Agriculture Ministry and Health Ministry officials had with officials of Orissa, Jharkhand, Bihar and Assam.
Meanwhile, the reports of death of two migratory birds (bar-headed geese) in Jammu and Kashmir triggered fears of bird flu in the state.
The samples have been sent to the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory in Bhopal for testing, Union Animal Husbandry Commissioner S K Bandhopadhyay told media persons in Delhi.
Samples have also been sent from Haryana to the HSADL following reports of poultry deaths in the state, he said.
Nearly 100 chicken were found dead in three villages in Khargone in MP in the last three days following which officials have sent samples from the dead birds to HSADL.
The Centre also directed the West Bengal government to ensure that culling teams undergo the necessary tests before going back to their families.
In Kolkata, the West Bengal government admitted there were lapses in quarantining culling teams, which left without being isolated and cullers returned to their families posing a potential health hazard.
"Noting the initial lapses, directives have been issued that culling team members must be quarantined for seven days to prevent contracting the H5N1 virus," Animal Resources Development minister Anisur Rahaman said.
Reports from some of the affected districts like Birbhum and Murshidabad earlier said that some culling team members left the quarantine zone to meet their families posing a potential health hazard.
The Central Zoo Authority alerted all zoos across the country to take preventive measures in the wake of bird flu outbreak in West Bengal.
"We are issuing guidelines to all major zoos across the country to ensure that the animals in the enclosures are safe from the avian flu," B R Sharma, member secretary of CZA, which is the autonomous body under the Environment Ministry, told PTI.
Zoo officials have been asked to provide disposal gloves, masks, caps and other accessories to animal keepers working at various enclosures particularly birds, Sharma said.
Nearly 300 chicken were reported to have died in Jalpaiguri, raising fears that it might become the 14th district in West Bengal to be hit by the deadly virus. There are 19 districts.
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Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 24+
Published on Fri, Feb 01, 2008 at 00:20, Updated at Fri, Feb 01, 2008 in 
Treyfish
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