India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 24+

[Treyfish]

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

State Govt bans import of poultry birds<!EpnHeading9End>
Source: The Sangai Express / Newmai News Network

Imphal, January 25: In a pre-emptive measure to check the spread of avian influenza in the state following the wild spread of the disease in West Bengal, the government of Manipur has banned the import of chicks, ducklings, eggs, and live birds etc from other states to Manipur.

"In order to contemplate sufficient measures in addition to the intensive post operative surveillance plan being taken up by the Veterinary and Animal Husbandry (VAH) department for prevention of recurrence of Avian Influenza in Manipur, testing of poultry feed samples for any possible contamination with avian influenza virus is felt necessary", said an order issued by the state VAH director, Th.

Dorendra Singh today to this effect.

The order also said that a team of the state Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, directorate of VAH services shall collect feed samples regularly from poultry feed shops, farms etc with immediate effect for testing in the laboratory and detection of any possible contamination with avian influenza virus.

The Manipur director of VAH services, Th.

Dorendro Singh has also issued an instruction earlier that there should be strict vigil in the poultry population both in organized sectors and backyard poultry for any suspected symptoms of avian influenza and physical surveillance and monitoring should be accelerated for any unusual morbidity and mortality in birds.

The director had also directed all concerned to submit daily report on any unusual morbidity and mortality in birds to his office by 5 in the evening.

It may be recalled that the state was also hit by bird flu virus sometime back in July last year.

Around 3, 07,053 numbers of chickens and 24,553 numbers of ducks were culled while 28,222 eggs and 23,150 kilograms of poultry feeds were disposed of.

However, the authority concerns have declared the state as well as the country free from avian influenza after strict surveillance exercises for around four months.

He had also ordered all veterinary check gates of the department to be kept vigil to ensure total ban on import of birds across the international border in the wake of the outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in West Bengal recently.

http://e-pao.net/GP.asp?src=9..260108.jan08

[sharon sanders]

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

Treyfish

Training programme for


Statesman News Service
MALDA, Jan. 25: District authorities have started a training programme for health workers to mop up bird flu affected zones in Chanchal I and Harishchandrapur I block in the northern part of the district.
Hundreds of health workers will go from door to door to check the health of the people in 41 mouzas after the culling, said Dr. RR Banik, the Malda CMOH. Local NGOs who were a part of the pulse polio immunization drive will also be engaged for this job.
According to the Malda CMOH, these health workers will report any symptoms of avian influenza in humans to district authorities for surveillance. The workers will also advise people about precautionary and preventive measures.
Though the progress of culling has been very slow due to villagers? resistance, it is expected that culling will be complete by Monday.
Authorities are trying hard to convince people to hand over their chickens as soon as possible.
A special cell has been opened in Chanchal and Malda district hospital besides two isolation wards, in order to quarantine more than 525 workers for observation, including local labourers and ARD officials engaged in the culling operation.
The Malda CMOH said trained health workers have been engaged for health check-ups of rapid response teams for culling operation before and after the culling.
All personnel including labourers are being administered doses of Temiflu.
No human has been reported to be infected by the virus during health check up.

http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=10&theme=&usrsess=1&id=187529

[sharon sanders]

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

Treyfish

Culling drive begins peacefully in Cooch Behar
Statesman News Service
COOCH BEHAR, Jan. 25: Amidst constraints, culling began in Cooch Behar district today. Domestic birds were culled at Jaridharla, Daribash and adjoining villages, all close to the Bangladesh border. There was no resistance from the locals as feared earlier.
According to the Cooch Behar district magistrate, Mr Rajesh Sinha, 50 teams were deployed for the job today. The team members were administered preventives before launching the exercise. The men engaged in culling were trained yesterday about the process under the supervision of Dr Vijay Kumar, who has been flown in from New Delhi. The DM hoped that culling in the affected areas would be over in two days. “The period may be extended if necessary,” he said.
The affected areas would be kept under surveillance for an additional 10 days. Spraying of lime and other disinfectants would be done from tomorrow to prevent spreading of the virus.
The Cooch Behar police superintendent Mr Anil Kumar said culling was going on peacefully. “There was no resistance from any quarter so far. Adequate number of policemen were accompanying the teams engaged in culling,” he added.The SP further informed that vehicles and markets were being checked to stop transportation and trading of chicken. Police are keeping constant contact with Border Security Force to prevent smuggling of chickens from across the border. The BSF has also tightened vigilance along the Bangladesh border to ensure no poultry sneaked in, he said.

http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=10&theme=&usrsess=1&id=187532

[sharon sanders]

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

Treyfish

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" height="493" width="514"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" align="left" width="100%">69 seized chickens culled

</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" align="left" width="100%">BARIPADA (ORISSA), JAN 25 (PTI)Authorities here slaughtered 69 chicken as vigil was stepped up in areas bordering birdflu-hit West Bengal to prevent spread of the dreaded disease.
Mayurbhanj district Veterinary wing culled the 69 birds after their seizure yesterday while being brought here in a bus after purchasing it from a market at Sunakania in West Bengal, official sources said.
An alert has been sounded in Mayurbhanj and Balasore districts bordering West Bengal and a ban imposed on import of poultry and eggs from the neighbouring state.
Meanwhile, Director of Animal Resources Development Department Bishnupada Sethi, who is on a tour of Mayurbhanj and Balasore districts since yesterday, held preparatory meetings at Balasore and Baripada.
Altogether 29 teams had been sent to different places in the two blocks in Jaleswar and Bhograi to vaccinate the birds and monitor the situation as well, the sources said.
All the vehicles entering the state through the three inter-state check gates at Jamshola, Bahalda and Chokosuliapada were being throughly checked to prevent entry of poultry into Orissa.
Similarly, bordering police stations had been alerted to monitor movement of people carrying poultry while people's representatives had been asked to report such incidents to the authorities in their respective area.
In remote villages, the administration was creating awareness about the avian disease through public announcement system.
Though there was no sign of birdflu in the two districts so far, panic had pervaded among the people, they said.


Rasagobindapur, Moroda, Kuliana, Suliapada, Sarasakana and Bahalda blocks of Mayurbhanj and Jaleswar and Bhograi of Balasore districts are located on the fringe of West Bengal.

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http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?id=538837

[sharon sanders]

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

Treyfish

Maharashtra to help bird flu-affected West Bengal




New Delhi: West Bengal government is struggling to contain the outbreak of bird flu in the state. On Friday the presence of the virus was confirmed in Sankrail of Howrah, which is on the outskirts of Kolkata.
Howrah is the 11 district in the state to be affected by bird flu and also the closest one to Kolkata.
Reports of the virus spreading to Purulia district bordering Jharkhand have also come in.
Following this 11 out of a total of 19 districts in the state have been affected so far, covering more than half of the state.
The other affected districts are Birbhum, Murshidabad, South Dinajpur, Burdwan, Nadia, Bankura, Malda, Cooch Behar and Hooghly.

With the state government failing to contain the virus, now the Animal Husbandry department of Maharashtra has sent a team of bird flu experts to the state to control the outbreak.

"We have sent eight people to West Bengal to assist the state administration involved in containing spread of bird flu," Maharashtra state Animal Husbandry Commissioner Ashish Sharma was quoted as saying by the PTI.
The team has officials who were involved in culling process when bird flu struck in Navapur and Jalgaon in Maharashtra.
While three officers went on Monday, the remaining five members of the team left for West Bengal on Thursday.
The Bombay Natural History Society has also sent two members to the affected regions of West Bengal.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) has decided to take action to restrict the spread of bird flu in other states.
MOHFW has undertaken awareness campaigns in Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh,
Chhatisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Orissa, Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh besides the Northeastern states.
The Tripura Government is taking the help of the visual and print media to spread awareness about bird flu.
Even Kerala has issued bird flu alert in the state. Kerala exports most of its poultry products from other states.

http://www.ibnlive.com/news/maharashtra-to-help-bird-fluaffected-west-bengal/57365-3-1.html

[sharon sanders]

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

Treyfish


<arttitle>Flu panic rises as goats drop dead</arttitle>
25 Jan 2008, 0223 hrs IST,Caesar Mandal,TNN

SMS NEWS to 58888 for latest updates
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr> <td align="left" valign="top"> MARGRAM (BIRBHUM): Hundreds of goats have died of an unknown disease over the past four days in Birbhum's Rampurhat block II.

Some experts warned that if the H5N1 virus ? which causes bird flu ? has jumped from birds to mammals, it could be the turn of humans next.

TOI met jittery villagers in Dakhalbati, one of the affected villages in Birbhum's Margram. Abdul Mohid, a farmer, said his goat was shivering and sneezing and saliva was oozing from its mouth. Mohid had called in a local vet, who could only say the animal was suffering from high fever but could not pinpoint a disease. Though he prescribed medicines, those have not worked.

Mohid, who has already lost 35 chickens to bird flu, is now scared about his livestock. He said that several neighbours had lost their goats as well to the mystery ailment.

His neighbour Seikh Kalim has buried seven goats over the past two days. They were suffering from a similar disease. In their case, too, drugs prescribed refused to work. The animals had fever and their throats started swelling before they fell unconscious and died within minutes. At Dakhalbati, more than 60 goats have died so far.

Villagers are blaming bird flu, as the symptoms are similar. But the state administration has claimed there was no information of cattle dying in the district. "It could be pneumonia, which commonly affects goats. But an H5N1 attack is not impossible. Pigs are proven carriers and since these goats have been sharing space with the affected birds, they are vulnerable. Chances of humans contracting the disease can't be ruled out," said Shyamalendu Chatterjee of the Indian Council for Medical Research.

Others like Barun Roy, an animal diseases expert, pointed out that H5N1 was yet to affect cattle anywhere in the world. "It is unheard of. The goats must have been suffering from pneumonia," Roy said. The state administration, too, has claimed it had no information of goats dying in the district.

Bird flu has resulted in huge financial losses for the villagers. They are not happy with the compensation. Now, most are trying to sell off their goats. "I have sold three goats at a low price. If this disease is bird flu, goats would be killed and I would lose my entire investment," said Mohammad Motier Rahaman, who lost three goats in two days.

Reports of hundreds of goats dying have also come in from Murshidabad's Khargram and Beldanga areas.


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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/rssarticleshow/msid-2729526,prtpage-1.cms

[Laidback Al]

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

Here is a map of the eleven states in West Bengal reporting H5N1 infections as noted in post #65.

[Niko]

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

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="updatetime" align="center"> Saturday, January 26, 2008 10:55 AM GMT+06:00 </td> <td class="volnum" align="right" width="100"></td> </tr> </tbody></table> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr> <td class="newspath">
</td> </tr> <tr> <td> <table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td class="newsdetails" valign="top">

Front Page

Over 400 crows die in Dinajpur in 2 days
Bird flu suspected as more fowls culled in districts
Star Report

<table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" width="200"><tbody><tr> <td></td></tr><tr> <td class="osdn-navtext">

A few of the dead crows at the garden of a house in Dinajpur town. The officials could not ascertain the reason for death. Photo: STAR

</td></tr></tbody></table>Crows in Dinajpur town and its adjacent areas are dying in large numbers while at least 4,700 poultry birds were culled in the district as they were infected with bird flu.

Locals and district livestock officials said over 400 crows died in the last two days in the town and are rotting in the open, our Dinajpur correspondent reports.

Locals of Munshipara and Barabandar said crows were seen falling from trees and die after a short while.

District livestock officials said two dead crows were sent to Joypurhat and Dhaka for lab tests to ascertain the disease that caused their death. He suspected it could be bird flu but could not confirm.

The official advised locals to bury the dead crows.

Our Patuakhali correspondent on Wednesday reported that around 150 crows in Patuakhali town died in last consecutive two days. Locals and district livestock officials said the birds died in Puran Bazar of town. Two dead birds were sent to Barisal and Dhaka on Tuesday to ascertain the cause of death. On Thursday evening lab reports revealed that the crows died of bird flu.

Meanwhile, 4,716 chickens, ducks and pigeons have been culled at farms in and around Rajbari of Dinajpur town after bird flu was detected in the area.

Sources said the culling started Thursday night and went on till yesterday afternoon.

District Livestock Officer AKM Nurzzamal said 2,000 birds were culled in the town's Rajbari, Katapara and Rajarampur area after bird flu was confirmed at three farms on January 19. Birds in seven other farms were later infected with the virus.

Mentioning that there is no need to panic, he said the authorities concerned have decided to use megaphones to make people aware of the disease. There has also been strong monitoring of the border with India so that no birds are brought into the country as there is a bird flu outbreak in North Shiliguri, North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur and Cochbihar districts of West Bengal in India.

District administration of Patuakhali and Barguna yesterday declared their districts as bird flu affected area.

Patuakhali authorities culled about 3,000 domestic birds in the town Thursday night while over 4,000 domestic birds were culled in Barguna three days ago.

They also declared a three-month ban on trading of such birds in the districts.

Abu Taher, Patuakhali district livestock officer yesterday said at least 2,640 domestic birds were culled with the help of police, Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), and army personnel. They also destroyed 1,155 eggs.

The culling took place at farms and houses in Nutan Bazar, Chawk Bazar, Puran Bazar, Katpatti, College Road areas and they were buried near Lawkathi of the Sadar upazila.

In Barguna at least 4,074 domestic birds were culled with the help of police, Rab, and army personnel Wednesday night as bird flu was identified there.

Authorities concerned in both the districts already started awareness programmes including distributing leaflets and using loudspeakers to inform people about the disease.

In a press release Thursday FAO Chief Veterinary Officer Joseph Domenech said, "The H5N1 [a strain of avian influenza] avian influenza crisis is far from over and remains particularly worrying in Indonesia, Bangladesh and Egypt, where the virus has become deeply entrenched despite major control efforts."

He said countries should continue to keep a close eye on the evolving situation. "The virus has not become more contagious to humans but has managed to persist in parts of Asia, Africa and probably Europe. It could still trigger a human influenza pandemic," he warned.

He said India is struggling to keep the worst-ever avian influenza outbreak in West Bengal under control. Indonesia remains one of the worst affected countries with 31 out of 33 provinces infected since 2004, many heavily. The continuing number of human cases gives cause for concern.

In Bangladesh, 21 out of 64 districts have been infected with H5N1 and the situation seems to be worsening. The disease appears to be endemic in the country. Surveillance and control campaigns have so far not succeeded in interrupting virus transmission between provinces. FAO is strengthening its presence in Bangladesh to support the government in its efforts to bring the disease under control, the press release said.

http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=20644

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[HenryN]

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

Commentary

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/01260801/Murshidabad_Goats.html

[HenryN]

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

<TABLE cellSpacing=8><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>India fails to curb bird flu</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top align=middle> New Delhi/Kolkata (IANS)
More than one million chickens culled, 9 human samples test negative

India struggled to contain the spread of bird flu in West Bengal as authorities yesterday confirmed the spread of the diseases in two more districts of Purulia and Howrah, not far from the state capital Kolkata.
?The High Security Animal Disease Laboratory of Bhopal has confirmed positive result for Avian Influenza (H5) in respect of samples from the Sankrail block of Howrah district and Santuri block of Purulia district,? an agriculture ministry statement said in the capital.
The ministry further said that avian influenza strains have been found from the samples of Mayureswar -II and Khoyrasole blocks of Birbhum district, the epicentre of the current outbreak, in eastern India.
Kandi block of Murshidabad too have been found positive.
With this confirmation the diseases now has spread to over 11 districts ? Birbhum, South Dinajpur, Murshidabad, Nadia, Burdwan, Bankura, Malda, Hooghly, Cooch Behar, Purulia and Howrah.
India confirmed an outbreak of bird flu on Jan 15 in two districts (Birbhum and south Dinajpur) of West Bengal.
No human infection has been reported so far. All nine human samples tested in Delhi and Kolkata have been found negative.
?I think the state government has messed up the situation by reporting the cases too late. It has failed to control the spread of the disease so far,? said a top official of the central animal husbandry department of the agriculture ministry.
? Now bird flu has reached the doorstep of Kolkata. It would be a great setback for both central and the state government, if bird flu reaches the state capital,? he said requesting anonymity.
The fresh confirmation has come a day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed concern over the bird flu situation in the state. He asked health ministry and information and broadcasting ministry to launch a campaign against avian influenza through radio and television.
Contrary to the concern expressed by Manmohan Singh, West Bengal Home Secretary Prasad Ranjan Roy said on Thursday that the ?outbreak is under control".
Yesterday authorities in Kolkata said that they have met nearly half the culling target by killing over one million poultry birds in the past 10 days. West Bengal targets to kill 2.1 million birds.
?We have killed more than one million birds by now. We hope to finish the rest in the next five days,? West Bengal Animal Resource Development Minister Anisur Rahman informed.
?There are an estimated 700 million poultry birds in West Bengal. Less than five percent of that is being culled,? he said.
Rahman said the culling operation was almost complete in Burdwan, Bankura and South Dinajpur districts.
Central agriculture ministry said 901 Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) were deployed in West Bengal for culling and surveillance operations in bird flu affected areas.
With the culling and the flu severely affecting the rural economy, Rahman said a rehabilitation package was being worked out.
The state government has sanctioned Rs.50 million to battle the flu while the central government has disbursed Rs.35 million.
West Bengal has sought Rs.80.25 million more from New Delhi. Many villagers, however, are unhappy with the compensation.
With almost half of West Bengal gripped by the deadly bird flu, the state?s poultry industry says it has lost over Rs.1 billion ($25 million) in the past weeks owing to the spread of the virus and sluggish culling operation.
Reports from Arambag in Hooghly district said close to half the farms have shut shop since the outbreak.
B.K. Farm, the biggest farm in the area, is under the scanner of the district administration. Day-old chicks are supplied all over the country from here.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has described the situation in West Bengal as ?serious.?
The H5N1 virus causes a type of influenza in birds that is highly contagious. It does not usually infect people unless they come in close contact with infected birds or contaminated surfaces.
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http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-01/26/content_7499585.htm

[HenryN]

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

Bird flu: Indian state asks for ?all possible help?
(AFP)

26 January 2008



KOLKATA - The Indian state of West Bengal, battling the country?s worst outbreak of deadly bird flu, appealed on Saturday to the federal government to send ?all possible help to defeat? the virus.
The call by state animal resources minister Anisur Rahaman came as authorities struggled to stop the disease spreading beyond the 12 out of 19 state districts already affected.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
?We have to control the disease immediately as the deadly H5N1 virus has been spreading fast,? Rahaman said, adding ?avian flu is knocking on the doors of Kolkata,? the eastern state?s congested capital of 13.5 million people.<o:p></o:p>
?I?m urging the federal government to send all possible help to defeat the virus before it affects the humans,? he told AFP.<o:p></o:p>
New Delhi has already sent some medical teams and other assistance to the state.<o:p></o:p>
Three days of heavy rains have held up efforts to slaughter poultry, turning some rural dirt roads into muddy rivers and making it impossible for health teams to reach chicken farms in the poverty-ridden state.<o:p></o:p>
Rahaman said he was deeply concerned by reports some villagers in rural areas were eating slaughtered chickens.<o:p></o:p>
?We don?t understand why people do not understand the dangers of the disease despite repeated warnings,? he said, adding children were still playing with chickens.<o:p></o:p>
Humans typically catch the disease by coming into direct contact with infected poultry, but experts fear the H5N1 strain may mutate into a form easily transmissible between people.<o:p></o:p>
Panic about bird flu has gripped Kolkata after news spread that the disease had reached the outskirts of the city on Friday.<o:p></o:p>
Few shops were selling poultry on Saturday in the city.<o:p></o:p>
?Not a single customer has come to my shop since the morning,? said Malati Mondal, a store owner.<o:p></o:p>
The government has raised the number of chickens to be slaughtered to 2.5 million from 2.2 million, Rahaman said, adding 1.3 million had been killed so far.<o:p></o:p>
Workers at entry points to Kolkata were disinfecting vehicles entering the city.<o:p></o:p>
India has not had any human cases of bird flu. But Rahaman said he feared the disease would spread to humans with hundreds of people reporting flu symptoms.

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayA...bcontinent&col=

[HenryN]

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

Bird flu confirmed in two more blocks of Murshidabad

Berhampore (WB), (PTI): Fresh outbreak was on Saturday confirmed in two blocks of bird flu-affected Murshidabd district of West Bengal.
District Magistrate, Subir Bhadra, told PTI that samples sent from Kandi and Beldanga (II) blocks to the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory at Bhopal were tested positive on Saturday.
With this, outbreak of avian influenza spread to nine blocks of the district, where samples had first tested positive 10 days ago.
After getting the test findings from Bhopal, medical teams were rushed to Kandi and Beldanga (II) blocks for conducting health check-ups of the culling team.
The health check-up, however, got delayed due to heavy rains, official sources said.
Culling teams were carrying out operations which was being hampered due to the rains since Thursday night, the sources said. Till day, 3 lakh chicken were culled in the district which had set a target of 7 lakh, the sources said.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus...0801261410.htm<!-- story ends -->

[HenryN]

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

Government of India
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

Status Report on Avian Influenza in West Bengal

(

As on 24.1.2008)

The total number of districts affected remains the same in West Bengal . Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has taken following actions.
<DIR><DIR>? Seven central rapid response teams of this Ministry are assisting the State health authorities in containment operations in the affected areas.

? Additional teams are being sent to reinforce the existing central RRTs.

? Birbhum District:

<DIR><DIR>�� The surveillance teams are conducting active surveillance in 0-3 Km area and in 3-10 Km Zone in the blocks of Nalhati II; Nalhati-I, Rampurhut I and II, Myureshwar-I.

�� Out of a population of 3,40,021 in 0-3 Kms of the epicenters [covering 127 villages] in these blocks, 2,27,910 have been covered.

�� Out of a population of 5,04,125 in 3-10 Kms of the epicenters, [covering 172 villages] 1,12,377 have been covered.

�� A total of 1400 persons [763 in 0-3 Km area and 637 in 3-10 km area] with fever/URI have been detected during surveillance. In the identified hospital 214 cases of fever/URI have reported.

�� No suspected human cases of Avian Influenza has been detected.

�� A total of 1633 animal health workers [veterinary surgeon, poultry workers, cullers, spraying workers etc.] have been medically examined/ followed up and 5 have been found unfit. All are under chemoprophylaxis.

�� 530 Health personnel [medical officers, health supervisors and health workers] are involved in surveillance activities and they are also under cover of Tamiflu.

�� No suspected human cases of Avian Influenza have been detected

</DIR></DIR>? South Dinajpur District:

<DIR><DIR>�� In 0-3 Km area, out of a total population of 1,79,657 the teams have covered a population of 39,365.

�� In 3-10 Km area, survey is conducted in phases. They have covered a population of 9,003.

�� One person with URI/fever who handled sick bird is under observation.

�� Culling operations have been completed. A total of 290 animal health workers [veterinary surgeon, poultry workers, cullers, spraying workers etc.] and 187 Health personnel [medical officers, health supervisors and health workers] and 77 hospital staff have been medically examined. One

animal health worker is also under observation. The personnel involved in the containment operations and surveillance activities are under the cover of Tamiflu and are under medical supervision.

�� No suspected human cases of Avian Influenza have been detected.

</DIR></DIR>? Murshidabad District:

<DIR>�� Culling operations are underway.

�� The total population in 0-10 Km is 4,05,057. Out of this, 41,038 in 0-3 Km area and 8,296 between 3-10 Km area have been covered.

�� 131 persons with Fever/URI have been found during the survey. 21 persons with fever/URI with exposure history are also being followed up. They have no signs of lower respiratory tract infection.

�� 63 persons with fever/URI have reported in the hospital. But none of them have contact history with infected poultry.

�� A total of 562 animal health workers [veterinary surgeon, poultry workers, cullers, spraying workers etc.] and 249 Health personnel [medical officers, health supervisors and health workers] and 147 hospital staff have been medically examined. The personnel involved in the containment operations are under the cover of Tamiflu and are under medical supervision.

�� No suspected human cases of Avian Influenza have been detected

</DIR>? Nadia District:

<DIR>�� Culling operations are underway.

�� In 0-3 km area, out of a total population of 19,700 the teams have covered 11,964 persons.

�� In 3-10 Km area, out of a population of 70,000 the teams have covered 13,791.

�� A total of 166 persons [92 in 0-3 Km area and 74 in 3-10 km area] with fever/URI have been detected during surveillance. There is no exposure history.

�� In the hospital 72 persons with fever/URI have reported.

�� A total of 804 animal health workers [veterinary surgeon, poultry workers, cullers, spraying workers etc.] and they are under chemoprophylaxis. 154 Health personnel [medical officers, health supervisors and health workers] and 23 hospital staff have also been medically examined.

</DIR>? Burdwan District

<DIR>�� Culling operations are going on

�� In 0-3 km area, out of a total population of 1,49,359 the teams have covered 1,01,003 persons.

�� In 3-10 Km area, out of total population of 9,92,292 the teams have covered a population of 16,859.

�� There had been 40 persons having URI/ Fever with no exposure history

�� 172 URI/fever cases have reported to hospital with no exposure history

�� A total of 550 animal health workers [veterinary surgeon, poultry workers, cullers, spraying workers etc.] and they are under chemoprophylaxis. 190 Health personnel [medical officers, health supervisors and health workers] have also been medically examined.

</DIR>? 10 clinical samples tested at NICD [8 from Birbhum and 2 from Murshidabad] have been tested negative. Five samples tested by National Institute of Virology, Pune from the affected area have also been found negative.

? 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.

? Special Secretary (Health) along with Addl.DG & Director, NICD and Joint Secretary held a video conference with the State health authorities of Assam as also DM, CMO and Animal Health officers of all five districts namely Dubri, Kokrajhar, Karimganj, Hailakandi and Kachar. The situation was reviewed and they had been requested to step up the vigil, check movement of poultry and poultry products and initiate preparedness measures.

? MOHFW has supplied 2,20,000 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 is being sent to the States of Assam, Bihar and Jharkhand.

? MOHFW has initiated IEC campaign to sensitize the community through the visual and print media. This includes broadcast of spots on private and Government owned FM channels in West Bengal. The spots are also scheduled to be broadcast 5-6 times before and between popular programmes and the National News broadcast during morning and late evening hours in the States of Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Rajasthan, Orissa, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. Telecast of campaign of Avian Influenza through Doordarshan Kendras of Patna, Ranchi, Kolkatta and Guwahati has been initiated.

? The situation is being monitored on a daily basis

http://mohfw.nic.in/Status%20Report%20of%20Avian%20influenza%20in%20West%20Bengal-24.1.2008.pdf

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[HenryN]

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

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/01260802/H5N1_Bangladesh_Crows.html

[HenryN]

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

Man under observation
Pranesh Sarkar
KOLKATA, Jan. 25: Amid the bird flu scare in West Bengal, the state health department has kept a youth under observation in Balurghat, South Dinajpur, who has developed symptoms of avian flu after handling sick birds recently. The youth?s clinical samples have been sent to the National Institute of Communicable Disease, New Delhi and National Institute of Virology, Pune for confirmation tests.
This is significant because South Dinajpur is one of the two districts where bird flu cases were confirmed in the state, with Birbhum on 15 January.
This is the first case in the state when the health authorities sent a clinical sample of a human, suspecting he could have fallen victim to the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of virus. So far, no human case of avian flu has been reported in India. Health officials said the 30-year-old youth was admitted to Balurghat Hospital with high fever and respiratory distress. As the youth hails from the area where the presence of H5N1 virus was confirmed, health officials put him under observation.
Chief Medical Officer (Health), South Dinajpur, Dr Bibhuti Bhusan Mahapatra, said: ?Though the patient has a history of asthma, we did not take any chances and sent his clinical samples for a confirmation test.?
But a Union health ministry official said they took up the case because the youth had handled sick birds. The youth fell sick soon after and is recovering today.
Health authorities at Swasthya Bhavan were astonished when they came to know of a two-month-old from Hili in South Dinajpur was admitted to Balurghat Hospital last evening with high fever and respiratory distress. But the baby?s clinical sample was not sent for H5N1 confirmation test as it was not thought to be necessary.
Strongly pitching for India having access to civil nuclear energy, Sarkozy said the country needs atomic power to meet its ?huge? demands because of economic growth.
Seeking waiver by the 45-nation NSG to New Delhi in the nuclear field, the French President said ?India has never contributed to proliferation? and has always expressed readiness to assume ?obligations? as requested by the IAEA.
New Delhi also has in place a unilateral moratorium on nuclear testing, the French President said while pointing out that India has clearly stated since 1970s that it wanted to separate military and civil nuclear programmes.
Sarkozy said if India did not have access to nuclear energy, it will have to resort to use of more polluting fuels for its development, whose implications will be bad for the environment.
Singh expressed gratitude to France over its ?steadfast? support to India?s quest for civil nuclear energy. Contending that France has the safest nuclear technology in the world, the President said.

http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=1&theme=&usrsess=1&id=187466