Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?n...02883&pageid=0
Equine influenza reaches Kolkata
Monday, November 03, 2008 01:05 IST
BANAGLORE: The government?s decision to ban the inter-state movement of horses to contain the outbreak of equine influenza seems to have come a little late.
Because the disease has found its way to Kolkata, prompting the authorities concerned to suspend racing ? it?s not likely to resume till November-end.
Around 70 of the 400 horses at Royal Calcutta Turf Club (RCTC) have been found to be infected with the virus and the number could rise as the club lacks quarantine facilities. Officials are trying to trace the carrier.
The Union health ministry has already suspended racing in Mumbai and Delhi after the outbreak of the disease in Pune and Delhi. It has also banned the inter-state movement of horses for three months.
Kolkata was susceptible to the disease with migrants from Pune and Delhi stationed at the club.
Though the club took an early decision to prevent fresh migrants from coming in, the damage perhaps had already been done.
With the disease surfacing in Kolkata, the racing season has run into further trouble. Kolkata?s winter season is long and the cash-rich club - which came out of a financial crisis through income generated from the real estate development on its premises at Russell Street - had doubled the stakes, making them as attractive as any other centre in the country.
?We had taken immense precautions to prevent equine influenza from reaching our premises. Since we were aware of the problem at Pune, we had banned the entry of horses from there despite assurances from their vet that there was no problem,? said Cyrus Madan, chairman, RCTC.
?There has been considerable movement of horses from Delhi and we had a batch of 10 horses coming to Kolkata on October 22. No viral strain had been reported from Delhi till then. It was only on October 25 that the first case of equine influenza was reported from Delhi and we immediately banned further entry of horses from there. We have tested all the horses that arrived from Delhi but they didn?t show any viral strain,? he said.
Madan said the club had ?suspended all track work as well as other activities related to preparation of horses for racing for one week? as they didn?t want to aggravate the situation. ?We will be taking a decision shortly about how long racing needs to be suspended to save the situation,? he added.
This is not for the first time that Kolkata is witnessing such an outbreak. It was hit by EIA (equine infectious anaemia) in 1987, considered more harmful than the equine influenza and about 120 horses had to be put down then.
Equine influenza reaches Kolkata
Monday, November 03, 2008 01:05 IST
BANAGLORE: The government?s decision to ban the inter-state movement of horses to contain the outbreak of equine influenza seems to have come a little late.
Because the disease has found its way to Kolkata, prompting the authorities concerned to suspend racing ? it?s not likely to resume till November-end.
Around 70 of the 400 horses at Royal Calcutta Turf Club (RCTC) have been found to be infected with the virus and the number could rise as the club lacks quarantine facilities. Officials are trying to trace the carrier.
The Union health ministry has already suspended racing in Mumbai and Delhi after the outbreak of the disease in Pune and Delhi. It has also banned the inter-state movement of horses for three months.
Kolkata was susceptible to the disease with migrants from Pune and Delhi stationed at the club.
Though the club took an early decision to prevent fresh migrants from coming in, the damage perhaps had already been done.
With the disease surfacing in Kolkata, the racing season has run into further trouble. Kolkata?s winter season is long and the cash-rich club - which came out of a financial crisis through income generated from the real estate development on its premises at Russell Street - had doubled the stakes, making them as attractive as any other centre in the country.
?We had taken immense precautions to prevent equine influenza from reaching our premises. Since we were aware of the problem at Pune, we had banned the entry of horses from there despite assurances from their vet that there was no problem,? said Cyrus Madan, chairman, RCTC.
?There has been considerable movement of horses from Delhi and we had a batch of 10 horses coming to Kolkata on October 22. No viral strain had been reported from Delhi till then. It was only on October 25 that the first case of equine influenza was reported from Delhi and we immediately banned further entry of horses from there. We have tested all the horses that arrived from Delhi but they didn?t show any viral strain,? he said.
Madan said the club had ?suspended all track work as well as other activities related to preparation of horses for racing for one week? as they didn?t want to aggravate the situation. ?We will be taking a decision shortly about how long racing needs to be suspended to save the situation,? he added.
This is not for the first time that Kolkata is witnessing such an outbreak. It was hit by EIA (equine infectious anaemia) in 1987, considered more harmful than the equine influenza and about 120 horses had to be put down then.
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