India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 24+

[HenryN]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 24+

Flu scare enters U?khand
Fear of a bird flu outbreak has gripped Uttarakhand after Dehra Dun reported a dozen chicken deaths over the past two days.
The deaths occurred at a poultry shop in the capital?s Tarla Aamwala area. The owner immediately buried nine birds and kept one for tests. Although veterinary officials have denied any deaths due to bird flu, sale of chicken across Dehra Dun have dipped following reports of the deaths in local newspapers.
?We don?t have any information about deaths of chickens due to bird flu. The deaths at the poultry shop could have taken place due to extreme cold conditions in the past few days,? said chief veterinary officer Dr AS Negi.
The department has set up two control rooms in the capital and asked poultry farm owners and shops selling chicken to inform them in case of any unnatural death of chickens.
No case of bird flu has been verified in the state yet, but wildlife authorities are keeping a watch on migratory birds at the large water bodies. A large number of migratory birds visit every year and with such birds suspected to be the potential carriers of the flu spreading in West Bengal, authorities here are not taking any chances.
In Kolkata, three persons with symptoms of avian influenza have been admitted at the MR Bangur Hospital since Saturday night. They were involved in culling operations in the state. Director of health services Dr Sanchita Bakshi confirmed the cases and said their blood samples will be collected for testing by the National Institute of Communicable Disease in Beliaghata.
A senior health department official said Tarak Nath, 29, was brought to the hospital after he complained of high fever and headache. Tarak was part of the culling operation in Budge Budge. He reportedly did not continue the anti-viral Tamiflu tablets during and after the operation.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/FullcoverageStoryPage.aspx?id=88cf557d-49a8-43d0-928f-ca44857a150dBirdfluhitsIndia_Special&&Headline=Flu+scare+enters+U%e2%80%99khand

[HenryN]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 24+

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100&#37;" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><SCRIPT type=text/javascript> //configuration OAS_url ='http://adstil.indiatimes.com/RealMedia/ads/'; OAS_listpos = 'Position1'; OAS_query = '?'; OAS_sitepage = 'www.timesofindia.com/Innovation/index.html'; //end of configuration OAS_version = 10; OAS_rn = '001234567890'; OAS_rns = '1234567890'; OAS_rn = new String (Math.random()); OAS_rns = OAS_rn.substring (2, 11); function OAS_NORMAL(pos) { document.write(''); document.write(''); } </SCRIPT><SCRIPT type=text/javascript> OAS_version = 11; if (navigator.userAgent.indexOf('Mozilla/3') != -1) OAS_version = 10; if (OAS_version >= 11) document.write('<SC'+'RIPT LANGUAGE=JavaScript1.1 SRC="' + OAS_url + 'adstream_mjx.ads/' + OAS_sitepage + '/1' + OAS_rns + '@' + OAS_listpos + OAS_query + '"><\/SCRIPT>'); </SCRIPT><SCRIPT language=JavaScript1.1 src="http://adstil.indiatimes.com/RealMedia/ads/adstream_mjx.ads/www.timesofindia.com/Innovation/index.html/1487868291@Position1?"></SCRIPT><SCRIPT type=text/javascript> document.write(''); function OAS_AD(pos) { if (OAS_version >= 11 && typeof(OAS_RICH)!='undefined') OAS_RICH(pos); else OAS_NORMAL(pos); } </SCRIPT><SCRIPT type=text/javascript> OAS_AD('Position1'); </SCRIPT><!-- -------------- Advertising.com ------ Times Internet Ltd - Times of India 468x60-738071 ------------ --><SCRIPT type=text/javascript>var ACE_AR = {Site: '738071', Size: '468060'};</SCRIPT><SCRIPT src="http://uac.advertising.com/wrapper/aceUAC.js" type=text/javascript></SCRIPT><NOSCRIPT></NOSCRIPT><!-- ---------- Copyright 2007, Advertising.com ---------- --><SCRIPT language=VBscript>Dim adsVB,poadsVB=0If ScriptEngineMajorVersion >=2 then adsVB=1Function adsAX(aX)on error resume nextIf adsVB=1 thenadsAX=Falseset po=CreateObject(aX)adsAX=IsObject(po)If (err) then adsAX=FalseElseadsAX=FalseEnd IfEnd Function</SCRIPT><SCRIPT src="http://servedby.advertising.com/site=738071/size=468060/u=1/bnum=76704959/hr=18/hl=0/c=2/scres=5/swh=1280x800/tile=1/f=0/optn=1/fv=9/dref=http%253A%252F%252Ftimesofindia.indiatimes.co m%252Frssarticleshow%252Fmsid-2753942%252Cprtpage-1.cms" type=text/javascript></SCRIPT></TD></TR><TR><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 13px"></TD></TR><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width="100%"><ARTTITLE>No avian flu in state, says Modi</ARTTITLE>
4 Feb 2008, 0239 hrs IST,TNN

SMS NEWS to 58888 for latest updates
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left>PATNA: Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi on Sunday said no case of avian flu has been reported from any part of Bihar. Modi, who also holds the animal husbandry department portfolio, said that reports about bird flu cases in Purnia have been found to be baseless.

Modi said that the Government of India (GoI) has ordered for culling of chickens in poultries located in areas bordering West Bengal. "It was under this order that culling of chickens took place in seven villages under Azamnagar block in Katihar district," he said.

He said that in a fresh order issued on February 1, the Union government had ordered culling of birds in poultries located upto 5 km near the border of West Bengal in Bihar, Assam, Jharkhand and Orissa. The step was a preventive measure, he said.

He said that in view of the fresh order, the state government had ordered the culling of birds in poultries located within 5 km from the border of West Bengal in Katihar, Purnia and Kishanganj districts.

Modi said that Rapid Response Teams (RRT) in these three districts have been formed and 650 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) have been sent to the teams culling the birds. Modi said that 10,000 doses of Temi Flu medicine has also been sent to the districts concerned. He said that in Bihar, breeding of chickens was largely unorganized and done in backyards. He said that the help of panchayats in Katihar, Purnia and Kishanganj will also be sought in culling of birds.

Modi said that compensation will be paid to poultry owners whose birds have been culled. The compensation amount has been fixed at Rs 40 per bird for poultry birds, Rs 30 for broiler and Rs 10 for chicks. He said that district magistrates have been instructed to take personal initiative in the work. He said that two senior officials of the animal husbandry department have been deputed to monitor the culling process in these districts.

Meanwhile, in another development, Modi said that the state government had given permission for opening of 50 industrial training institutes (ITIs) in the private sector.

While holding a review meeting on Sunday of the labour department, he lamented that Bihar had just 46 ITIs, when states likes Gujarat and Maharashtra had over 250-500 institutes. He said that in 2007, around 350 trained Bihari youths had got employment through campus selections.


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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/rssarticleshow/msid-2753942,prtpage-1.cms

[Treyfish]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 24+

After Flu, anthrax fear as five cows die
Statesman News Service
SILIGURI, Feb.3: Sudden death of five cows on Friday night fuelled anthrax fear at Nishiganj under Mathabhanga-I. Deputy director of animal resources development department, Dr Tapan Kumar Roy said they collected blood samples for examination. If the samples test positive of anthrax, the cattle of the entire area will be vaccinated to stop spreading of the infectious disease, he assured. Meanwhile, the Central observer Dr Vijay Kumar who came from New Delhi to monitor and supervise the bird flu situation in this district visited Jaridharla village in Dinhata yesterday.
This village was the first in this district from where the samples were tested positive of bird flu virus. Dr Kumar inquired about the present situation of the village and preventive measures taken after completion of culling.
When asked about the recent spurt of ailment with cold and fever among the villagers in the bird flu affected areas, the DM said the patients were examined and no symptoms similar to avian flu were found.
The ongoing cold wave may be the cause of their illness, he said. At the same time he added that teams of health workers are visiting villages regularly to ensure that there are no cases of avian flu in humans has been reported. http://www.thestatesman.net/page.new...ss=1&id=188805

[Treyfish]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 24+

Bengal?s neighbours bristle as Centre orders culling
Statesman News Service
NEW DELHI/KOLKATA, Feb. 3: The Centre?s decision to create poultry de-populated zones in Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa up to five-km from their borders with West Bengal to create an immunity belt has not gone down well with the governments of these state. If Orissa was unwilling, Jharkhand was reluctant. ?All the state governments have been notified and advised to take further action,? a Central government spokesperson said.
Reluctant to cull healthy chicken, the Orissa government had written to the Centre conveying its opposition to the directive. ?The problem lies with West Bengal. It is unwise to look for a solution in Orissa,? a senior official was quoted saying today. Poultry farmers in the state were also opposed to the idea of culling birds. ?Why should we kill our birds as there is no trace of virus in the state?? a poultry farmer was quoted as saying. Tribals in areas bordering West Bengal have been breeding exotic breeds of chicken since generations. There was no point in culling them, he said.
The state government claimed that it had been successful in keeping the Bird Flu virus away from Orissa by taking precautionary steps in the appropriate time. ?Our officials and doctors will be demoralised if birds are culled despite being healthy,? he said. Jharkhand has nine districts contiguous with West Bengal. Jharkhand officials have confirmed receipt of the Centre?s letter directing start of culling operations but said that the culling would begin only after getting the state government?s approval. The officials said that the H5N1 virus hadn?t been found anywhere in Jharkhand.
The official response from Assam was more positive. Culling of chickens in five districts of Assam bordering West Bengal and Bangladesh began yesterday. Officials in Guwahati said that culling operation had been conducted within a five-kilometre radius of Dhubri and Kokrajhar along West Bengal and Hailakandi, Karimganj and Cachar districts along Bangladesh. They said no outbreak had been reported in the state and emphasised that culling was being done as a precautionary measure. A Bird Flu alert has been sounded in Uttarakhand following the death of some chicken there.
Culling again
Culling was started afresh in three blocks of South and North 24-Parganas today after the presence of H5N1 virus was confirmed in Jibontala village in South 24-Parganas in Canning-II block yesterday. In Jibontala, the culling team had to face some resistance from villagers until the SDO intervened. Officials said that birds would be culled in 56 villages of three blocks ~ Bhangar-II, Canning-II of South 24-Parganas and Minakha in North 24-Parganas. So far, 29 lakh birds have been culled. With the fresh outbreak, the number could touch 30 lakh, officials said.

http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=1&theme=&usrsess=1&id=188740

[HenryN]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 24+

<TABLE cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=2 width="99%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=2>Bird flu detected in crows in Ctg
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top colSpan=2>
The fast-spreading avian influenza has also been detected in crows in the port city of Chittagong, posing a fresh threat to its booming poultry industry.

When contacted Saturday, officials at Chittagong Livestock Department confirmed the presence of bird flu among crows in Chittagong as they received laboratory reports from Dhaka and Feni Friday night.

According to sources, several hundred crows were found dead in a pond in the city?s Agrabad area during the last week.

District livestock officials collected samples of some the dead crows Thursday and sent those to Dhaka and Feni for laboratory tests.

As the test reports reached the authorities here Friday night, the district administration immediately held an emergency meeting and took several decisions to protect poultry farms from the deadly virus which has taken an epidemic turn in nearly 33 districts.

As per decisions of the meeting, notices have been issued to all upazila and pourasava administrations asking them to remain alert to tackle any emergency situation.

The disaster management committee of the Chittagong City Corporation also sat in a meeting this evening with its chief executive Khairul Alam in the chair. The meeting decided to immediately spray disinfectant at every poultry farm of the city.

District livestock officer Abdul Mannan told UNB that they did not receive any report of death of poultry bird in the district till this afternoon.

He urged the people not to get panicked but remain alert to check the outbreak of bird flu.

Around 22,000 chickens culled at Savar

Around 22,000 chickens of eight poultry farms were culled in Savar Saturday after detection of Avian Influenza.

Livestock officials conducted the culling operation with the help of joint forces.

Sources said as some chickens of Rahman poultry farm of Kuturia at Ashulia died on Wednesday the farm owner sent the sample of dead chickens to Livestock Research center in the uapzila.

As the disease was detected, 1550 chickens of the farm were culled on Friday night.

Livestock authority culled today around 22,000 chickens of eight other farms located within one kilometer of Rahman Poultry.

Those included 7,800 chickens of Dipa poultry, 2500 of S A poultry, 3135 of Munnu and Muku poultry, 2030 of Haji poultry, 2200 of Tasmina poultry, 1100 of Salam poultry, 1400 of Jubair poultry and 1150 of Happy poultry.

Bird flu still spreading in Bangladesh

An Indian state said it had brought the country's worst ever bird flu outbreak under control on Saturday, just as neighbouring Bangladesh reported the virus was spreading.

The deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu had been detected in 13 of 19 districts in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal since the outbreak began in mid- January.

The state's Animal Resource Development Minister Anisur Rahaman told AFP that health workers expected to complete the culling of three million poultry by late Saturday.

"We have so far culled nearly 2.9 million poultry since January 14," when the outbreak -- India's third and worst -- was confirmed, Rahaman said.

He added that the "next plan is to disinfect thousands of backyard poultry yards where culling has been done."

The state government was taking all possible steps to stop the spread of bird flu to humans, he said.

Humans typically catch bird flu by coming into direct contact with infected poultry, but experts fear the H5N1 strain may mutate into a form easily transmissible between people.

"All culling workers have been asked to stay for at least 10 days in hospital to take the full course of (antiviral drug) Tamiflu and burn clothes worn during culling," Rahaman said.

At least 700 were already in hospital taking Tamiflu, recommended by the World Health Organisation as a first line of defence against the virus, Rahaman said.

No cases of humans catching bird flu have yet been reported in India or Bangladesh. But in Indonesia on Friday, a 31-year-old woman died of the virus, bringing the toll to 102 in the nation worst hit by the illness.

"If anyone has a cold or fever we are sending his blood sample for tests," Rahaman added.

Once the culling operations were completed, more people would be admitted to hospital to take Tamiflu under supervision, he said.

Neighbouring Assam state ordered a cull in villages bordering West Bengal following suspicious poultry deaths. And Haryana, next to capital New Delhi, has sent dead bird samples for testing.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh slaughtered tens of thousands of chickens on Saturday as four more districts reported detecting bird flu.

"The disease is spreading," livestock department chief Sunil Chandra Ghosh said, insisting authorities had the situation under control.

The H5N1 strain has now spread to 34 out of Bangladesh's 64 districts, forcing police and livestock officials to slaughter 35,000 chickens in the past three days alone, officials said.

The government in Dhaka ordered major hospitals to set up isolation units to treat bird flu suspects.

"We've taken blood samples of 837 people and none have been found positive. We've also confined several people in their homes, while more than a thousand are under our watch," government spokesman Mahmudur Rahman said.

Health officials investigating bird flu cases called the situation "alarming" and getting worse every day.

"There's a huge lack of awareness in the countryside. People are throwing away dead chickens to open fields, canals and ponds. Crows which have eaten the cadavers are dying by the hundreds," a health officer told AFP.

The disease was first detected in Bangladesh last February near the capital Dhaka. It was almost dormant by late 2007, but made a forceful comeback in January this year.

Over 1,600 domestic fowls culled in Gopalganj

Over 1,600 domestic fowls were culled in the Gopalganj district town early Saturday after the detection of avian influenza.

Local Veterinary Hospital sources said two officials of the hospital examined the samples.

Of the chickens of the farm of one M Abu Hossain of Thanapara area on Friday night and detected avian influenza.

Later, the livestock officials with the help of district and police administrations conducted a drive to 208 homesteads of the area from Friday midnight to 5am Saturday.

During the drive, some 762 chickens, 524 pigeons and 316 ducks were culled buried underneath the ground.

Meanwhile, the district administration today (Saturday) decided to cull some 7,000 chickens in Shailakupa upazila headquarters in Jhenidah district after detection of avian influenza.

--UNB, AFP, Chittagong, Savar, Kolkata, Gopalganj

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

http://www.bangladeshinfo.com/news/other_news_head.php?othid=44872

[Treyfish]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 24+

Flu scare: culling begins in Assam
Express News Service

Posted online: Monday, February 04,2008




Guwahati, February 3: Assam has launched a massive culling operation of chicken in the districts bordering West Bengal and Bangladesh, in view of the outbreak of bird flu in the neighbouring state. The culling began on Sunday with the authorities demarcating a strip of 5 kms in Kokrajhar and Dhubri districts touching West Bengal and along the Indo-Bangla border in Hailakandi, Karimganj, Cachar and Dhubri districts. The culling operation was launched at the instance of the Centre, which issued directives to Assam, Jharkhand, Bihar and Orissa last week to carry out culling to prevent bird flu from spreading across these states. Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said there has not been a single incident of bird flu anywhere in Assam and that the culling of birds was being carried out as a preventive measure. http://www.indianexpress.com/story/268632.html

[Treyfish]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 24+

Flu scare enters U?khand"again"

<!--Start of first two columns--><!--Start of LeftContent--><!--Start of module1--><!--End of NewsItem-->
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<!--End of the leftContentPane--><!--Start of the CenterContentPane--><!--Start of top module-->Utpal Parashar and Subhendu Maiti, Hindustan Times

Dehradun/Kolkata, February 04, 2008
First Published: 01:21 IST(4/2/2008)
Last Updated: 01:24 IST(4/2/2008)

Fear of a bird flu outbreak has gripped Uttarakhand after Dehra Dun reported a dozen chicken deaths over the past two days.




The deaths occurred at a poultry shop in the capital?s Tarla Aamwala area. The owner immediately buried nine birds and kept one for tests. Although veterinary officials have denied any deaths due to bird flu, sale of chicken across Dehra Dun have dipped following reports of the deaths in local newspapers.
?We don?t have any information about deaths of chickens due to bird flu. The deaths at the poultry shop could have taken place due to extreme cold conditions in the past few days,? said chief veterinary officer Dr AS Negi.
The department has set up two control rooms in the capital and asked poultry farm owners and shops selling chicken to inform them in case of any unnatural death of chickens.
No case of bird flu has been verified in the state yet, but wildlife authorities are keeping a watch on migratory birds at the large water bodies. A large number of migratory birds visit every year and with such birds suspected to be the potential carriers of the flu spreading in West Bengal, authorities here are not taking any chances.
In Kolkata, three persons with symptoms of avian influenza have been admitted at the MR Bangur Hospital since Saturday night. They were involved in culling operations in the state. Director of health services Dr Sanchita Bakshi confirmed the cases and said their blood samples will be collected for testing by the National Institute of Communicable Disease in Beliaghata.
A senior health department official said Tarak Nath, 29, was brought to the hospital after he complained of high fever and headache. Tarak was part of the culling operation in Budge Budge. He reportedly did not continue the anti-viral Tamiflu tablets during and after the operation. http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryP...%e2%80%99khand

[HenryN]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 24+

'Worst over' in bird flu outbreak, says Centre

New Delhi (PTI): The Centre on Monday said the "worst was over" in the Bird flu outbreak in West Bengal even as culling operations began in two districts of Assam in an effort to stop the spread of the virus to neighbouring states.
Culling began in Dhubri and Kokrajhar districts of Assam. While 2,200 birds were culled in Dhubri, in Kokrajhar a total of 448 poultry were killed. Five Rapid Reaction Teams (RRTs) are operating in each district.
The decision to begin culling operations in neighbouring states was taken after a high-level meeting between the Union Agriculture and Health Ministries to contain the spread of the deadly virus.
Sources in the Animal Husbandry department said while Bihar and Jharkhand were yet to communicate their decision on culling, Orissa was showing some hesitation in beginning the culling operations, considering the financial implications.
Asked why culling operations in West Bengal had not been completed yet, Union Animal Husbandry Secretary Pradeep Kumar told reporters the figures for the number of poultry to be culled had been decided based on the 2003 census, thus there was a slight discrepancy in the culling target.
Kumar said going by the fact that only 14 birds were reported to have died yesterday in the state, "we can safely say that the worst was over for the outbreak".
"There are positive signs that the situation is under control and the worst is over," he said.
"Murshidabad and Cooch Behar are the two districts where culling remains to be done," he said.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus...0802041965.htm<!-- story ends -->

[sharon sanders]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 24+

Henry - I moved your 2 cullers observed for BF article to the India/Bengal Human BF? thread here.

[HenryN]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 24+

Two million birds to be culled in Bengal?s neighbouring states

Express news service
Posted online: Tuesday, February 05, 2008 at 0038 hrs IST
NEW DELHI:
As culling operations in West Bengal continues, the Government on Monday estimated that another two million poultry birds will have to be culled within five km area on state border in Orissa, Jharkhand, Bihar and Assam to create a preventive ring around the bird-flu infected region. According to Animal Husbandry secretary Pradeep Kumar, culling has already started in Assam. He claimed that the worst was over and now the emphasis would be on taking preventive measures.
Regarding reports about smuggling of birds into Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and cases of mortality among poultry birds in other states, the Government on Monday made it clear that samples from all the places have tested negative for bird-flu. ?All samples of poultry birds collected from Lakhimpur Kheri and Sitapur districts of Uttar Pradesh, which were part of the consignment transported from West Bengal, have tested negative.
Similarly, samples of birds received from Haryana, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu,
Bihar and Tripura have also tested negative,? Kumar said. In an effort to contain the disease in the state, the West Bengal Government has so far culled 34 lakh poultry in the affected districts.

http://www.indianexpress.com/printerFriendly/269116.html

[Treyfish]

Re: Pakistan - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 23+

Culling to begin tomorrow
Statesman News Service
BHUBANESWAR, Feb 4: The Orissa government today decided to adhere to Centre?s advice and undertake culling of birds from 6 February within a radius of five km bordering West Bengal.
The five km radius, involving districts like Sundergarh, Balasore, Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar would turn into a no bird zone.
What has raised the eyebrows among the officials here is the manner in which such a decision has been taken. For instance, from 6 February we will kill all those birds which we have recently vaccinated, a surprised official said.It has been learnt that even at a high level review meeting held by the chief secretary, Mr Ajit Tripathy, no decision on culling was taken. The meeting discussed various steps which had been initiated to prevent the outbreak of avian flu in West Bengal, vaccination of birds, vigil and monitoring systems.
There was no talk about culling and some of the officers had reportedly opposed to the idea as it would unnecessarily create a vacuum for three months. Smuggling of birds from outside to meet the demand would also rise.The government had earlier written to the Centre saying that it was not necessary to kill birds within the 5 km radius and that Orissa had taken all the necessary precautions.No case of avian flu has been reported in the state as yet, official sources said. Nobody is sure as to how the state government would undertake the task and meet the demand for chicken in the no-bird zone.
Top officials of the concerned department are touring the districts and telling people not to panic and get their birds vaccinated.
Compensation as per as Central guideline~Rs 40/- per layer birders, Rs 20 for broiler and Rs 10 for chicks will be paid, official sources said. http://www.thestatesman.net/page.new...ss=1&id=188993

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 24+

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/02...ern_India.html

Commentary

Sealing Eastern India

Recombinomics Commentary 18:59
February 3, 2008

Orders were issued on Saturday that apart from Bengal, its neighbouring states ? Jharkhand, Chattisgarh and Bihar ? will also be banned from supplying poultry. ?It?s more of a preparatory step to stop the virus from entering our region.

The above comments describe plans by the central government of India to seal off large portions of eastern India from the rest of the country (see satellite map here and here). Earlier, West Bengal was sealed, but the above plan greatly expands the sealed regions.

The choice of districts is curious, since Chattisgarh does not share a border with West Bengal. Currently, there is a ?precautionary? culling plan to cull poultry near the West Bengal borders. The precautionary culling is just an extension of the culling within West Bengal, since H5N1 has been confirmed near the borders of Bihar, Jharkhand, and Orissa. Moreover, excessive poultry deaths have been reported for the adjacent states, which have no confirmed H5N1.

However, the absence of confirmed H5N1 is largely due to a lag in the release of test results. Samples from eastern Jharkhand were sent on January 15 for testing, but results have not been made public.

Therefore, the proposed sealing of Chattisgarh, may reflect unreported H5N1 positives in Jharkhand, since Jharkjhand does share a border with Chattisgarh.

The above plan however, is not likely to stop the H5N1 spread, which is facilitated by wild birds. Several regions in northern India have reported excessive poultry deaths, and like the samples described above, results have not been released.

These unreported regions are well to the west of the districts described above, and southern Pakistan already has confirmed H5N1 in the Karachi area.


.

[HenryN]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 24+

Jharkhand to cull chicken in areas bordering West Bengal


Submitted by Mudassir Rizwan on Tue, 02/05/2008 - 10:32.

• India News

By IANS
Ranchi : The Jharkhand government Tuesday ordered the culling of chickens in nine districts bordering the bird flu hit state of West Bengal.
Officials said the animal husbandry department of the state has issued the order to the district administrations of Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Seraikela and Kharsawa, Pakur, Sahebganj, Jamtara, Dumka, Bokaro and Dhanbad.
The decision to cull the chickens was taken following a directive from the central government Friday to check the spread of bird flu.
"The district administration has been asked to identify the affected areas within three kilometres of the border with West Bengal and cull the chickens if needed. The poultry farmers will be given Rs.40 for each culled chicken," an animal husbandry department official told IANS.
Nearly 200 chickens died in Angada block of Ranchi district about 15 days ago but officials are yet to confirm whether or not they fell prey to the avian influenza virus.
Jharkhand has already banned the import of poultry products from West Bengal.
On Monday, Ranchi police seized a truck laden with chickens from the neighbouring state. Around 1,200 chickens brought from West Bengal were also seized from the godown of a wholesaler in the state capital.

http://www.indianmuslims.info/news/2008/feb/05/jharkhand_cull_chicken_areas_bordering_west_bengal.html

[HenryN]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 24+

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• Bihar: Culling of poultry on Tuesday
• West Bengal: Two cullers down with influenza
• Culling almost complete in West Bengal
• 50,000 birds to be culled in Assam

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</TD><TD vAlign=top align=left>Press Trust of India

Tuesday, February 5, 2008 (Patna)

Culling of poultry began on Tuesday in Bihar's Purnia district adjacent to West Bengal as a precautionary measure.

Though no case of bird flu has been reported in Bihar, culling operations are to be undertaken in 19 blocks of Purnia, Katihar and Kishanganj districts.

This is in compliance with the Union Health Ministry's order to Bihar, Assam, Jharkhand and Orissa to kill the birds in villages falling within five km of their borders with bird flu-hit West Bengal.

Bihar's Director of Animal Husbandry Department Brahmachari Chandrashekhar Prasad Singh, who is camping at Katihar to supervise the exercise, told PTI over phone that 25 birds have so far been culled in Hafnia, Gangar and Sripur Mallahtola panchayats in Amour block of Purnia district since Tuesday morning.

He said teams have also been sent to the identified areas in Katihar and Kishanganj districts.

Altogether 33 teams of experts have been constituted for carrying out the operation in Katihar, six for Purnia and 20 for Kishanganj.

According to Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, since poultry farming is rarely done in the organised sector in Bihar and was basically a backyard trade, the government has sought cooperation of panchayati raj bodies and local public representatives to ensure effective compliance with the order.

The farmers are being given a compensation of Rs 40 per for non-broiler chicken, Rs 30 for broiler chicken and Rs 10 for chicks to be culled.

The culling teams have been supplied with 650 protective equipment and 10,000 tablets of Tamiflu to protect them from the H5N1 virus, one of the most pathogenic viruses that afflicts poultry and could affect humans also.

The state government had ordered culling of poultry in six panchayats of Azamnagar block in Katihar district on January 2 and had 400 of them killed before the authorities discovered that the locations did not fall within five km of Mahanandpur village in Malda district of West Bengal afflicted by birdflu.

The culling was immediately stopped and a team from the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) led by its Joint Director R S Gupta visited parts of Katihar and Kishanganj districts on January 27 and felt there was no need for culling.

However, sources in Bihar's Animal Husbandry department said the order issued by the Union Health Ministry on February 1 was aimed at ensuring that not a single avian flu case erupted in the area in close proximity to West Bengal.

Meanwhile, Joint Secretary in the Union Animal Husbandry Department M A Agnihotri has arrived in Purnia on Tuesday to discuss with Purnia Divisional Commissioner R K Khandelwal and officials of the three districts steps undertaken to prevent avian influenza, including culling of birds.


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http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080040458&ch=2/5/2008%205:57:00%20PM

[HenryN]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 24+

India's risky bird flu offensive
<!--Smvb--><TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=bottom><!--Smvb-->By Subir Bhaumik
BBC News, Hatpur, West Bengal <!--Emvb--></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
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Hundreds of curious people watch the culling of poultry at Hatpur village in the Indian state of West Bengal with no protective clothing - not even a towel around their noses.


The only people in the village with protective gear for bird flu are the five members of the culling team - and this correspondent.

Local official Aloka Mondal says she is busy trying to meet government targets for culling birds and does not have the time to follow the safety protocol.
Standard practice for culling dictates that villages have to be vacated, people without protective gear should be removed from the area and the culled birds should be disposed off in sanitised zones.
"I have a target to achieve. We have to cull 45,000 to 50,000 birds in our area and we have been asked to do it within two days," says Ms Mondal.
"We don't have enough people in government to do it, so we have drafted some locals for a daily fee."
Chanditola, Hatpur and Jonai are latest in the list of bird-flu affected areas in West Bengal.
They are located in Hooghly district, just two hours from the state's capital, Calcutta (Kolkata), and have some of the state's largest commercial and backyard poultries.
Hooghly is among the 13 of West Bengal's 19 districts that have been hit by bird flu in what is, according to officials, a "massive outbreak".
No cases of human infection have been reported.
Local officials such as Ms Mondal have been told that they will be taken to task if they cannot achieve the culling targets.



Nearly 2.4 million birds have been culled in West Bengal in the past fortnight.
But the target has now been hiked to 2.8 million after samples from some areas like Chanditola, Hatpur and Jonai tested positive.
"We are told if culling is not completed, bird flu may spread in my district and cause greater losses to poultry farmers. Also there could be human infection. So we cannot concentrate on anything other than culling," says Ms Mondal.
However, if villagers are allowed to gather around and watch the culling without protection, the threat of human infection is greater.
Two policemen accompanying the culling team working in Kajal Bagh's farm at Hatpur occasionally chase away the villagers but they come back in greater numbers, ever more curious.
Safety lapse
And without any protective clothing, the villagers get to within a metre or two of the jute sacks in which the culled birds are collected for dumping in a nearby marsh.
"Safety has been a casualty in the entire culling operation all across West Bengal since mid-January," says animal disease expert Debojit Brahma.
"The government is only worried about how many birds have been killed."
In an unusual safety lapse, the West Bengal government allowed thousands of members of culling teams to go home to their families without putting them through the mandatory quarantine.
Now many of them have been recalled to their base camps where they will be isolated and put through tests for a few days.
"We have now instructed district magistrates not to allow any culling team member to go home during the culling period and when they are on mandatory quarantine," says West Bengal Health Minister Surya Kanta Mishra.


But in Hatpur and Chanditola, where 15 culling teams have been deployed after samples from the area tested positive this week, the scene is different.
"Doctors have asked us to stay away from families during the culling. But where will we stay?" asks Somnath Santra, a member of the culling team at Hatpur.
"No camp has been set up for us, so we have to go home to eat and sleep at night."
The H5N1 strain of bird flu is regarded as highly pathogenic and can also cause disease and death among humans who have been in contact with affected animals.
There are fears the virus could trigger a global pandemic if it evolves to pass easily between humans.


Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/south_asia/7227723.stm