H5N1 Confirmed: Claims thousands of birds/poultry in Tripura

[HenryN]

Mysterious disease claims thousands of birds in Tripura



Agartala, April 2: About 3,000 birds, including poultry fowl, have died due to some mysterious disease during the past one week in Tripura, officials said here Wednesday.

Villagers said more than 3,000 chickens, ducks, crows and other birds have first fallen sick and then died at bordering Kamalpur, 160 km north of here.

A team of doctors of animal resource development department (ARDD), led by its deputy director Chandan Kumar Roy, has rushed to the area and started collecting blood samples of the birds.

"Several dogs and five jackals, which had consumed the affected birds, were also found dead," the villagers said.

"We don't think the birds have died of bird flu. We suspect it to be Ranikhet disease. However, we would send the blood sample to national laboratories for confirmation," said Ashim Burman, director ARDD.

Ranikhet is a highly infectious and fatal viral disease, which attacks poultry of all ages. It is also known as newcastle disease.

Earlier, the detection of the H5N1 virus in chickens at the small poultry farms in Moulabibazar district of Bangladesh, opposite to Kamalpur, had prompted the Tripura government to take measures, including sealing of borders, to stop the movement of poultry and poultry products between the two countries.

"We have asked the BSF to maintain a strict vigil along the Indo-Bangla border to prevent illegal trade of poultry and poultry products from Bangladesh," Burman said.

The state forest department has also asked its officials to keep a watch on Tripura's 10 big water bodies where migratory birds from India and abroad are currently breeding.

http://www.newkerala.com/one.php?act...lnews&id=42935

[HenryN]

Tripura is on border of Bangladesh.

[Commonground]

Well. This is not good at all.

"Several dogs and five jackals, which had consumed the affected birds, were also found dead," the villagers said.

[HenryN]

Originally Posted by Commonground

Well. This is not good at all.

And its not Newcastle Disease.

[sharon sanders]

Newcastle Disease Fact Sheet -

http://www2.dpi.qld.gov.au/health/3950.html


Overview

Symptoms	Some strains of the disease cause only minor symptoms while others are fatal. The severity of the symptoms depends on the strain of the virus and the age and health of the bird. The incubation period is usually 5–6 days but may vary from 2 to 15 days. The ND virus produces four broad clinical syndromes: Viscerotropic velogenic ND. Appears suddenly and spreads rapidly. Symptoms are marked depression, loss of appetite, sharp drop in egg production, increased respiration, swollen heads, blue combs, and, often, a profuse green diarrhoea that leads to dehydration and collapse. Birds may die within 2 days. Birds that survive the initial phase often develop nervous signs such as twisted necks and muscle twitching. Up to 90% of birds may die. Neurotropic velogenic ND. Severe respiratory and nervous signs predominate, including coughing and gasping, head tremors, wing and leg paralysis and twisted necks. Depression, loss of appetite and a drop in egg production also occur. Between 10% and 20% of adults and a larger proportion of younger birds may die. Mesogenic ND. Mainly respiratory signs, with coughing but no gasping. Other signs include depression, loss of weight and decrease in egg quality and production for up to 3 weeks. Nervous signs may develop late in the course of the disease and death rates are about 10%. Lentogenic ND. Symptoms are mild or absent and include mild respiratory signs, impaired appetite and a drop in egg production.No nervous signs occur and deaths are usually negligible.
Susceptible species	All birds, both domestic and wild. Most susceptible are domestic chickens, turkeys, pigeons and parrots. Milder disease is seen in ducks, geese, pheasant, quails, guinea fowls and canaries.
Infection and spread	Easily spreads by contact with infected or diseased birds. The virus is excreted in manure and is expired into the air. Other sources of infection are contaminated equipment, carcasses, water, food and clothing.
Distribution	Present in most countries. Severe form of the disease occurred in Australia in the 1930s and in 1998, 1999 and 2002.
Persistence	The virus is readily destroyed by heat, soaps and detergants, hypochlorites, alkalis, gluteraldehyde or Virkon®. The virus is destroyed by direct sunlight within 30 minutes, but in cool weather can continue to survive in manure and contaminated poultry sheds for many weeks. A minimum core temperature of 80°C for one minute destroys the virus in meat products.
Significance	The virus is a serious economic threat to the poultry industry.
Human health	No public health risk to consumers of eggs or poultry products. Mild conjunctivitis and flu-like symptoms have been reported in people working closely with infected birds.
Control	From 1 April 2005, vaccination of chickens in commercial flocks is compulsory under part 8A of the Stock Regulation 1988 .
Other diseases with similar symptoms include:	Avian influenza Infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) Infectious bronchitis Marek’s disease Pasteurellosis (cholera)

[Laidback Al]

Tripura (a state of India) is almost completely surrounded by Bangladesh.

[Oracle]

Originally Posted by niman

And its not Newcastle Disease.

Since H5NQ has been reported in the area, and this outbreak of avian disease seems to have killed dogs and jackals, maybe so.

Unless NDV has also crossed species barriers.

I would be not at all surprised to learn of the latter.

[HenryN]

Originally Posted by Laidback Al

Tripura (a state of India) is almost completely surrounded by Bangladesh.

Attachment 2391

Kamalpur is on the Bangladesh border.

[HenryN]

Commentary

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/04...1_Tripura.html

[Dutchy]

3000 birds die of unknown disease in Tripura


AGARTALA, APR 2 (PTI)

More than 3000 birds including poultry have died of an unidentified desease in the past two weeks in two border villages in West Tripura and Dhalai districts, sources in Animal Husbandry Department said today.

The birds including chicken, duck and crow have died in Mohanpur in West Tripura district and Kamalpur in Dhalai district, sources said adding after infection their heads swelled and started oozing fluid.

A team of doctors of Animal Resource Department rushed to the villages but could not identify the desease. However, they do not suspect the desease to be bird flu.

Villagers told the visiting doctors that a few jackals, a cat and a few dogs have died after eating the dead birds.

Sourses said, doctors suspected that the disese might be ranikhet. Samples are being tested in laboratories here.

http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?id=559177

[HenryN]

3000 birds die of unknown disease in Tripura

Thursday, 03 April , 2008, 00:30

Agartala: : More than 3000 birds including poultry have died of an unidentified disease in the past two weeks in two border villages in West Tripura and Dhalai districts, sources in Animal Husbandry Department said today. The birds including chicken, duck and crow have died in Mohanpur in West Tripura district and Kamalpur in Dhalai district, sources said adding after infection their heads swelled and started oozing fluid. A team of doctors of Animal Resource Department rushed to the villages but could not identify the disease. However, they do not suspect the disease to be bird flu. Villagers told the visiting doctors that a few jackals, a cat and a few dogs have died after eating the dead birds. Sourses said, doctors suspected that the disease might be ranikhet. Samples are being tested in laboratories here. http://sify.com/printer_friendly.php...6&ctid=2&lid=1

[Oracle]

"Viscerotropic velogenic ND. Appears suddenly and spreads rapidly. Symptoms are marked depression, loss of appetite, sharp drop in egg production, increased respiration, swollen heads, blue combs, and, often, a profuse green diarrhoea that leads to dehydration and collapse."

[ironorehopper]

Originally Posted by Oracle

"Viscerotropic velogenic ND. Appears suddenly and spreads rapidly. Symptoms are marked depression, loss of appetite, sharp drop in egg production, increased respiration, swollen heads, blue combs, and, often, a profuse green diarrhoea that leads to dehydration and collapse."

Tripura has borders with at least five district of Bangladesh affected by HPAI H5N1 epizootics.
http://www.searo.who.int/en/Section1...2462_13930.asp

[HenryN]

Originally Posted by Oracle

"Viscerotropic velogenic ND. Appears suddenly and spreads rapidly. Symptoms are marked depression, loss of appetite, sharp drop in egg production, increased respiration, swollen heads, blue combs, and, often, a profuse green diarrhoea that leads to dehydration and collapse."

What does it do to cats, dogs, and jackals? H5N1 kills them.

[Snowy Owl]

Bird flu confirmed in Tripura's Dhalai district

Dhalai, Apr 6 (ANI): Authorities in Tripura on Sunday confirmed the presence of avian influenza virus in the Kamalpur area of Dhalai district.

Authorities in Tripura on Sunday confirmed the presence of avian influenza virus in the Kamalpur area of Dhalai district.

The Bhopal's High Security Animal Disease Laboratory has found that the samples positive.

Culling operations are likely to be started as and when the directives are issued. (ANI)

© 2007 ANI

http://www.thecheers.org/news/South-...-district.html

[HenryN]

Dhalai, Apr 6 (ANI): Authorities in Tripura on Sunday confirmed the presence of avian influenza virus in the Kamalpur area of Dhalai district.
Authorities in Tripura on Sunday confirmed the presence of avian influenza virus in the Kamalpur area of Dhalai district.

The Bhopal's High Security Animal Laboratory has found that the samples positive.
Culling operations are likely to be started as and when the directives are issued. (ANI)


http://www.thecheers.org/news/South-...-district.html

[HenryN]

Commentary

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/04...Confirmed.html

[HenryN]

Bird flu hits Tripura

Sun Apr 6, 2008 8:39pm IST
AGARTALA, India (Reuters) - A fresh outbreak of bird flu has been reported in poultry in Tripura, a top veterinary official said on Sunday. Veterinary workers were preparing to slaughter thousands of chickens and ducks in Tripura, bordering Bangladesh, after preliminary reports that more than 3,000 birds had died, officials said.
"It is bird flu and the final report is expected tomorrow," Ashis Roy Burman, director of Tripura's Animal Resources Development Department told Reuters in Agartala.
"The virus must have spread from Bangladesh."
Authorities in Bangladesh have culled millions of birds but are still struggling to contain the virus.
In West Bengal, authorities said the deadly virus had resurfaced in Nadia district, which also borders Bangladesh.
West Bengal had briefly contained the outbreak by culling nearly four million birds in 14 of its 19 districts, but the virus has intermittently resurfaced.
"We will again have to cull more birds," Anisur Rahaman, West Bengal's animal resources minister said by telephone from Kolkata.
Health workers in both states said they were looking for people with flu-like symptoms.
India has not reported any human infections so far, but experts fear the H5N1 strain could mutate into a form easily transmitted from person to person, leading to a pandemic.
Since January, poultry sales in West Bengal have fallen by about 70 percent and traders are struggling.
India reported it first outbreak in 2006 in Maharashtra.
The World Health Organization described the January outbreak in West Bengal as the worst ever in India.

http://in.reuters.com/article/topNew...080406?rpc=401&

[HenryN]

Bird flu confirmed in Tripura's Dhalai district (Tripura Bird Flu -Update)


By Pinaki Das



Dhalai, Apr 6: Authorities in Tripura on Sunday confirmed the presence of avian influenza virus in the Kamalpur area of Dhalai district.

"We received preliminary confirmation Sunday of bird flu in a bordering town Kamalpur, in remote Dhalai district," the state's top official Dr A Roy Barman who went to the spot for investigation told ANI over phone.

Over 3000 chickens, ducks, crows and other birds had first fallen sick and then died reportedly died during the past one week.

Barman said samples from dead birds were sent to the state-run High Security Research Laboratory in the central Indian city of Bhopal had tested positive for the deadly H5N1 strain of the virus.

Official said the culling would start on Tuesday.

http://www.dailyindia.com/show/23029...rd-Flu--Update)

[Treyfish]

Bird flu spreads to Tripura
8 Apr 2008, 0145 hrs IST,Kounteya Sinha,TNN
NEW DELHI: [COLOR=blue! important][COLOR=blue! important]Bird [COLOR=blue! important]flu[/color][/color][/color]has now hit Tripura, making it the fifth state to be infected by the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus over the last three years.

The virus has killed over 3,000 birds in Tripura's Dhalai district over the past week, forcing state animal husbandry officials to send dead birds samples to Bhopal's High Security [COLOR=blue! important][COLOR=blue! important]Animal [COLOR=blue! important]Disease[/color][/color][/color] Laboratory.

Although initial test results pointed to an H5N1 outbreak on Saturday, written confirmation from the lab was received by Union animal husbandry secretary Pradeep Kumar only on Monday evening.

The state government has set up 20 rapid response teams to start culling operations from Tuesday morning. Around 20,000 birds, mostly backyard poultry, within a five-km radius of the affected area, will be culled over the next three days.

A central team headed by director of animal husbandry and vigilance J C Biswas is in the state since Saturday preparing for control and containment operations.

This fresh outbreak comes at a time when the country is already grappling with its worst [COLOR=blue! important][COLOR=blue! important]avian [COLOR=blue! important]influenza[/color][/color][/color] outbreak in West Bengal.

The first outbreak was reported from Maharashtra in 2006. Since then, Gujarat, Manipur and West Bengal have also reported the highly dangerous H5N1 outbreaks. However, for India, the only consolation has been that the virus has not infected a single human being.

Kumar told TOI, "One sample from Mohanpur village tested positive for H5N1. We aren't surprised as the village is just half a km from Bangladesh, which is facing the region's worst and most extensive avian influenza outbreak. While most of the poultry population in this area is backyard, two-three commercial poultry farms also exist."

However, there's some consolation for Mohanpur's poultry breeders. They will receive compensation more than what farmers received during all the four previous outbreaks.

The earlier outbreaks saw farmers receive Rs 40 per egg-laying adult [COLOR=blue! important][COLOR=blue! important]chicken[/color][/color] and ducks, Rs 30 for those used for meat and Rs 10 per chick.

Under the new compensation package, ducks and geese will fetch Rs 75 while turkey will fetch Rs 160. The compensation amount for egg-laying chicken has been increased by Rs 10 while broilers will fetch Rs 40. "Tripura has Bangladesh on one side and Myanmar on the other. This made the state highly vulnerable. The virus could have been transmitted through smuggling of poultry birds from Bangladesh because of the porous border," a [COLOR=blue! important][COLOR=blue! important]health[/color][/color] ministry official said. Culling from Tuesday would be carried out within a radius of five km of Mohanpur and seven adjoining villages — Billaschara, Noagaon, Mayachari, Halhuli, Harerkhola, Marachara and Kamalpur. The state government has banned movement of all vehicles to and from these villages. It has also banned the sale and consumption of poultry and poultry products in the affected and adjoining villages. The state forest department has also asked its officials to keep a watch on Tripura's 10 big water bodies where migratory birds from India and abroad are currently breeding. Dhalai is 180 kilometres north of state capital Agartala.

Meanwhile, West Bengal is finding it extremely difficult to free itself from the H5N1 virus. Nadia has become the fourth district to be re-infected. The virus was confirmed in the Ranaghat area of Nadia on Saturday. In March, Malda, Murshidabad and Jalpaiguri reported reinfection after avian influenza was first reported from the state on January 15.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/B...ow/2933797.cms