India: Assam, AVIAN INFLUENZA A/H5N1 IN POULTRY (December 2008+)

[Giuseppe]

INDIA: ASSAM, POSSIBLE NEW H5N1 POULTRY EPIZOOTIC (11/26/2008) [RSOE EDIS]

More than 300 poultry birds have died in the past five days in some villages in Assam, fuelling fears of bird flu, officials said here Wednesday, adding that a general alert was sounded in the area.


A veterinary department official said up to 300 chicken and ducks died an unnatural death in some villages around Hajo, about 35 km west of Assam?s main city of Guwahati.

?We have sent samples for laboratory tests to Pune and Bangalore for confirmation. We don?t know for sure if the poultry deaths were due to bird flu,? a veterinary department official said requesting not to be named.

Authorities Wednesday imposed a ban on sale of poultry and have sounded a general alert in about 40 villages in a radius of five kilometers from the area where the deaths were reported.

?By Thursday we shall be getting the laboratory test reports and maybe we have to start the culling process as there has been large-scale reports of deaths coming in from nearby areas,? Kamrup district magistrate R.C. Jain said.

?We have imposed a ban on sale and purchase of poultry and have asked people in the area not to consume chicken or duck as a precautionary measure.?

A general health alert was also sounded in the area.

Teams of experts are now camping in the area and were contemplating culling birds as a precautionary measure.

Residents of the area said a large number of birds were falling sick.

?We saw normal birds dying almost instantly without any symptoms. Now we find some of the poultry in the area a little sick,? said Biswa Das, a villager.)
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<small>Visualizzazione ingrandita della mappa</small>
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<cite cite="http://visz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/woalert_read.php?cid=19380&lang=eng">RSOE EDIS</cite>

[HenryN]

Re: India: Assam, possible new h5n1 poultry epizootic (11/26/2008) [rsoe edis]

Dead ducks usually point to H5N1.

[HenryN]

Re: India: Assam, possible new h5n1 poultry epizootic (11/26/2008) [rsoe edis]

Also described at

http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-51803.html

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/health/bird-flu-scare-in-assam-300-poultry-dead_100123938.html

http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/s...id=ZeOYIQMhNRY=

[Treyfish]

Re: Avian Influenza Outbreaks in Chickens, Bangladesh

Bird flu scare in Assam, 300 poultry dead




Guwahati, Nov 26: More than 300 poultry birds have died in the past five days in some villages in Assam, fuelling fears of bird flu, officials said here Wednesday, adding that a general alert was sounded in the area.

A veterinary department official said up to 300 chicken and ducks died an unnatural death in some villages around Hajo, about 35 km west of Assam's main city of Guwahati.

"We have sent samples for laboratory tests to Pune and Bangalore for confirmation. We don't know for sure if the poultry deaths were due to bird flu," a veterinary department official said requesting not to be named.

Authorities Wednesday imposed a ban on sale of poultry and have sounded a general alert in about 40 villages in a radius of five kilometers from the area where the deaths were reported.

"By Thursday we shall be getting the laboratory test reports and maybe we have to start the culling process as there has been large-scale reports of deaths coming in from nearby areas," Kamrup district magistrate R.C. Jain said.

"We have imposed a ban on sale and purchase of poultry and have asked people in the area not to consume chicken or duck as a precautionary measure."

A general health alert was also sounded in the area. Teams of experts are now camping in the area and were contemplating culling birds as a precautionary measure.

Residents of the area said a large number of birds were falling sick.

"We saw normal birds dying almost instantly without any symptoms. Now we find some of the poultry in the area a little sick," said Biswa Das, a villager. http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-51803.html

[Treyfish]

Re: Avian Influenza Outbreaks in Chickens, Bangladesh

Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Bird flu scare in Assam, 300 poultry dead


From correspondents in Assam, India, 09:31 PM IST

More than 300 poultry birds have died in the past five days in some villages in Assam, fuelling fears of bird flu, officials said here Wednesday, adding that a general alert was sounded in the area.
A veterinary department official said up to 300 chicken and ducks died an unnatural death in some villages around Hajo, about 35 km west of Assam's main city of Guwahati.
'We have sent samples for laboratory tests to Pune and Bangalore for confirmation. We don't know for sure if the poultry deaths were due to bird flu,' a veterinary department official said requesting not to be named.
Authorities Wednesday imposed a ban on sale of poultry and have sounded a general alert in about 40 villages in a radius of five kilometers from the area where the deaths were reported.
'By Thursday we shall be getting the laboratory test reports and maybe we have to start the culling process as there has been large-scale reports of deaths coming in from nearby areas,' Kamrup district magistrate R.C. Jain said.
'We have imposed a ban on sale and purchase of poultry and have asked people in the area not to consume chicken or duck as a precautionary measure.'
A general health alert was also sounded in the area. Teams of experts are now camping in the area and were contemplating culling birds as a precautionary measure.
Residents of the area said a large number of birds were falling sick.
'We saw normal birds dying almost instantly without any symptoms. Now we find some of the poultry in the area a little sick,' said Biswa Das, a villager.http://www.indiaenews.com/health/20081126/160830.htm

[Giuseppe]

Re: India: Assam, possible new h5n1 poultry epizootic (11/26/2008) [rsoe edis]

Days after India says it?s clean, bird flu strikes Assam block [Indian Express]

Days after India says it?s clean, bird flu strikes Assam block

Amitav Ranjan Posted: Nov 27, 2008 at 0027 hrs IST

New Delhi :

Almost a fortnight after India declared itself free of avian flu, preliminary reports have confirmed a fresh outbreak of the virus in Hajo block of Kamrup district in Assam where more than 200 poultry birds have died since last Saturday.


?Preliminary tests by the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory have indicated bird flu to be the reason behind the poultry deaths. The confirmatory test from the same lab is expected tomorrow. The outbreak will be declared once the report identifies the strain,? Government officials said today.

Once the outbreak of High Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1) virus is notified, local health authorities would start culling within the five-km radius of the infected villages, numbered to be around 40.

However, the Department of Animal Husbandry in the Agriculture Ministry has issued instructions to set up a control room.

After the last outbreak reported in Darjeeling in West Bengal in May, there were no further reports prompting the Centre to declare the country free of avian flu.

Between January and May this year, 42 incidents of bird flu were reported from West Bengal and Tripura.

Though the last reported case in Darjeeling was disinfected on June 4, the Government couldn't declare itself flu-free due to a sporadic incident of outbreak in Manipur in July.

After three months elapsed without any incident, the Department on November 4 reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) that surveillance in the infected areas showed no signs of the flu and hence it was declaring the country free of bird flu.

The Department also informed the states of the new status but asked them not to be complacent in maintaining vigil against the disease.According to sources, the cause of the flu in Assam was unclear as the affected sites are far from Bangladesh that is frequently affected by the virus.

Moreover, the speed at which the birds were falling ill or dropping dead was a cause for concern, the sources said.

While the state government is claiming that 100 birds had died in the block area, unconfirmed reports put the number at 200, sources said.
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<cite cite="http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Days-after-India-says-it-s-clean--bird-flu-strikes-Assam-block/391024">Days after India says it?s clean, bird flu strikes Assam block</cite>

[HenryN]

Re: India: Assam, probable new h5n1 poultry epizootic (11/26/2008) [rsoe edis]

Commentary

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/11260801/H5N1_Assam.html

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: India: Assam, probable new h5n1 poultry epizootic (11/26/2008) [rsoe edis]

Commentary

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/11...5N1_Assam.html

Commentary

H5N1 Returns to Assam India
Recombinomics Commentary 21:01
November 26, 2008

?Preliminary tests by the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory have indicated bird flu to be the reason behind the poultry deaths. The confirmatory test from the same lab is expected tomorrow. The outbreak will be declared once the report identifies the strain,? Government officials said today.

The above comments, coupled with reports of dead poultry including ducks, strongly suggests that the strain in Assam, India will be H5N1. Several weeks ago Bangladesh reported an H5N1 outbreak and major outbreaks were reported in both countries last December and suspect poultry deaths in Assam were reported in January.

Media reports suggest there have been recent outbreaks in multiple locations in Assam, which would also support a migratory bird introductions into India and Bangladesh.


.

[HenryN]

Re: India: Assam, probable new h5n1 poultry epizootic (11/26/2008) [rsoe edis]

Bird flu alert in Bhitarkanika
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Express News Service
First Published : 27 Nov 2008 01:34:49 PM IST
Last Updated :

KENDRAPARA: The Forest and Veterinary officials have sounded alert in Bhitarkanika after large numbers of migratory birds started arriving in the national park with the onset on winter.

The officials have also taken precautionary steps to detect any sick birds in the park and its nearby areas, said Dr Keshaba Chandra Mohanty, Chief District Veterinary Officer (CDVO).

Two years back, two scientists from Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) examined a few migratory and local birds to detect the presence of flu virus. But they could not find any trace of it, said the officer.

The forest officials have also sounded a flu alert in the heronry of the park where lakhs of migratory avian species have already arrived.

The Forest and Veterinary officials distributed leaflets and booklets among the villagers near the park to create awareness about the bird flu , said the forest officer.

Forest and veterinary officials are also keeping a watchful eye on migratory birds like bar-headed geese, Bramihin Duck, plovers and other migratory species as they were found carrying H5NI strain of avian influenza in past.

‘‘Last year we collected blood and stool samples of about 300 avian species and sent the samples to Animal Disease Research Institute (ADRI), Bhubaneswar. Later, the officials of ADRI sent the samples to High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL) in Bhopal. However, the scientists of HSADL could not find any flu affected birds in Bhitarkanika. This year we will also collect blood samples of 300 birds shortly. We have also trained 40 poultry farm owners to detect sick hens,’’ said Mohanty.

http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/s...id=CkCzSE5idhU=
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[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: India: Assam, probable new h5n1 poultry epizootic (11/26/2008) [rsoe edis]

Just to avoid confusion: the previous posting refers to an other region in India: Orissa State.

http://www.indiawildliferesorts.com/...e-sanctuaries/bhitarkanika-sanctuary.html

[HenryN]

Re: India: Assam, probable new h5n1 poultry epizootic (11/26/2008) [rsoe edis]

Just to avoid confusion: the previous posting refers to an other region in India: Orissa State.

http://www.indiawildliferesorts.com/...e-sanctuaries/bhitarkanika-sanctuary.html

Only 300 samples from live birds are being collected, which will almost certainly produce 300 negatives. H5N1 in live wild birds is only detectable for a VERY brief time frame (24-48 hours) while birds are infected.

[HenryN]

Re: India: Assam, probable new h5n1 poultry epizootic (11/26/2008) [rsoe edis]

Bird flu detected at Hajo in State
Ajit patowary
GUWAHATI, Nov 27—Dreaded bird flue has struck the State. Official circles here said that the Bhopal-based High Security Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (HSADL) confirmed this evening the outbreak of the disease among the domesticated fowls of Thakuria Chuba of Rajabazar village under Hajo Revenue Circles of Kamrup district. This is the first case of outbreak of the dreaded disease in the State, said the sources.

Reports of unusual death of fowls in the area started coming since November 21. Meanwhile, reports of unusual death of fowls have also been received from parts of Sarpara village of Palasbari in the same district. The State Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Department has already sent samples collected from the Palasbari birds to the HSADL, said the sources.

Samples collected from the Hajo area were sent to the HSADL on November 23 for confirmation. The experts of the Northeast Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (NERDDL) here collected the samples on November 21 and 22. The NERDDL also conducted preliminary tests on the samples collected on November 21.

The Directorate of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry here received reports of unusual death of domesticated birds from Thakuria Chuba, a locality inhabited by 25 families, on November 21. In the locality 87 fowls were reported dead on November 21. Of the birds, 62 were adult ones.

The next day, 66 birds were reported dead (48 adults), followed by 92 (56 adults) on November 23, 20 (12 adults) on November 24, 27 (19 adults) on November 25 and 32 (17 adults) on November 26. It is believed that at present there are around 100 fowls left in the locality, said the sources.

Now, since the HSADL has confirmed occurrence of the disease in Thakuria Chuba, culling operations will be taken up in an area of 5-km radius around the locality to create a bird-free zone so as to prevent spread of the disease to other areas, the sources said.

On the steps taken so far by the Directorate to prevent spread of the disease to other areas, sources said that immediately after receiving the information of the unusual death of the birds in the locality, a team of experts from the NERDDL headed by the in-charge of the Laboratory, rushed to the spot and took preventive measures and collected bio specimen and tested them at the NERDDL.

The experts collected morbid and sera samples from the area on November 22 and communicated the report of the development to the authorities concerned in the State and the Central Governments that day. The samples collected from the Hajo area were sent to the HSADL, Bhopal by special messenger with intimation to the Joint Commissioner (LHS) of the Central Government on November 23.

This was followed by the despatching of six Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) to the spot and necessary instructions were issued. The Department, in close association with the civil authorities, has been closely monitoring the overall situation in the area. The local people have also been made aware of the safe practices of poultry handling and proper disposal of the last remains of the dead birds.

On November 25, the Joint Commissioner (LHS) of the Union Government arrived at the city and held discussions with the departmental officers, State’s Veterinary Commissioner and Deputy Commissioners of both the Kamrup (Metro) and Kamrup districts. The Joint Commissioner also reviewed the situation on ground.

As per the direction of the Joint Commissioner (LHS), bio specimens from high mortality area were sent to the Pune-based National Institute of Virology by a special messenger and poultry population in the 0-5 km and 5-10 area around Thakuria Chuba were also calculated, said the sources.

[HenryN]

Re: India: Assam, probable new h5n1 poultry epizootic (11/26/2008) [rsoe edis]

Map

http://www.geocities.com/cyberguwahati/kamrup.htm

[HenryN]

Re: India: Assam, probable new h5n1 poultry epizootic (11/26/2008) [rsoe edis]

Updated map

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&t=h&hl=en&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=106484775090296685271.0004353ecc9cb8856de8c&num=200&start=400&ll=26.240461,91.598511&spn=2.335335,3.054199&z=8

[HenryN]

Re: India: Assam, probable new h5n1 poultry epizootic (11/26/2008) [rsoe edis]

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/11270806/H5N1_Assam_Confirmed.html