India: 4 culling workers under observation

[Gert van der Hoek]

Culling worker reports sick

Malda (WB) (PTI): A culling worker who reported sick has been kept under observation in Malda district even as mopping up operations continued for the second day on Wednesday in bird flu-hit areas of the district.

Fifty-eight-year-old Haripada Das, who had fever on the second day of culling operations, was examined and his blood samples were sent for examination, official sources said.

He was at present kept under observation, the sources said.

The mopping up operation began on Sunday to locate if there was any bird left in the affected areas in Englishbazar, Old Malda town and adjoining Sahapur, an ARD official said.

Altogether 1,178 birds were to be killed during mopping up operations which was carried out with police escort.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200803261303.htm

[Giuseppe]

Re: India: culling worker report sick

Culling operations unsatisfactory, says Malda DM
Express news service - Posted online: Wednesday, March 26, 2008 at 01:46:28 - Updated: Wednesday, March 26, 2008 at 02:09:13

Kolkata, March 25

Mopping-up operations continued in the two bird flu-hit areas of Malda district on Tuesday.

But it had little affect as the culling teams failed to make inroads into the villages.

District Magistrate Chittaranjan Das admitted that the response was unsatisfactory.

?Mopping-up operations are on. Thirty-one teams are visiting various affected areas. But one must understand that awareness level among villagers is very poor. At some places, culling teams had to wait for the entire day without any villager visiting them with their birds. I have asked the authorities to conduct a house-to-house search. But I am not sure whether that has been done,? said Das.

The animal resources development (ARD) authorities had on Monday declared the culling drive to be over after revising the target from 44,000 to 23,500.

The target was scaled down, as ?there were no birds in the privately-run poultries in the wake of culling operations in January, when the district was first plagued by bird flu?.

The mopping-up operation was undertaken to find out if there was any bird left in the affected areas in Englishbazar, Old Malda Town and adjoining Sahapur, an ARD official said.

He added that while 21,051 birds were culled till Monday afternoon, within a three-km radius of affected areas, the ARD was hopeful of meeting the revised target by Tuesday.

Meanwhile, a culling team member fell ill, creating panic among other workers. Malda SDO Arunima Dey said: ?Harupada Das, a resident of Malda fell ill while the teams were getting ready to go out for the day. He was later taken to Malda Sadar Hospital and released after a check-up.?
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http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Culling-operations-unsatisfactory-says-Malda-DM/288533/

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[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: India: culling worker reports sick

Four Culling Workers Under Watch For Bird Flu Infection

Wednesday 26th of March 2008

Four workers involved in culling operations in West Bengal were put under medical supervision for 'suspected symptoms' of bird flu infection.

'Four animal husbandry workers involved in culling and mop-up activities are under medical supervision,' a union health ministry statement said in the capital.

The bird flu virus resurfaced at a state-run poultry farm at the English Bazaar in Malda district two weeks ago. About 200 chickens have died at the poultry farm since March 13.

India's worst ever bird flu outbreak was declared in West Bengal Jan 15. It hit areas in Murshidabad and Malda districts after a month's gap and the culling of nearly four million birds.

'India has not reported a single case of human infection so far. But the current development is a little worrying as all the four under supervision were part of the culling operations. It means they were closely in touch with the poultry birds,' a health ministry official said on anonymity.

'We hope they do not turn out as positive cases,' he said.

However, the ministry clearly said India has not reported a single human case of bird flu and adequate stock of medicines and personal protective equipments are available with the state and district authorities.

Earlier in the day, authorities in West Bengal said that they have completed the culling operation in English Bazaar.

'We have begun a mopping up drive in some notified areas to slaughter the remaining chickens stocked at different poultry farms,' said N.K ****, deputy director of the West Bengal Animal Resource Department (ARD).

'We have decided to take police help if anyone refuses to hand over their chickens to our ARD teams. The operation would be carried out in all 24 mouzas, (small rural areas) including the Malda municipal area.

'We have already culled about 24,000 poultry birds in Malda. Though the target was to kill about 44,000 chickens initially, we saw the actual figure was about 24,000 as we started working in the field,' he said.

After India declared an outbreak of bird flu in January, it has affected 13 districts - South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, Birbhum, South Dinajpur, Murshidabad, Nadia, Burdwan, Bankura, Malda, Cooch Behar, Purulia and West Midnapore.

http://newspostindia.com/report-44646