India - Bird Flu in POULTRY/ANIMALS Feb 5th - 10th 2008

[HenryN]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=10&theme=&usrsess=1&id=190557

Fear as 1,000 birds die
Statesman News Service
SILIGURI, Feb. 11: Over 1,000 chickens have died in a village at Falakata in Jalpaiguri district today.
The incident has been reported from Umacharanpur village under the Choto Salkumar gram panchayat, where the fowl deaths took place in two private poultry farms. The farms had about 5,000 chickens and the sudden death of over a 1,000 has triggered concern.
Officials from the animal resources development (ARD) department at Falakata Block visited the spot and collected samples of the dead fowls. A team was also assigned to bury the dead chickens as per official norms.
?The collected samples would be forwarded to the High Sensitive Animal Disease Laboratory in Bhopal for tests,? Mr Biswabandhu Mazumdar, a veterinary doctor, Falakata Block unit, ARD department said.
Dr Bidyut Baran Roy, deputy director, ARD, Jalpaiguri said that officials have been assigned to constantly monitor the situation in and around the two poultry farms.
Umacharanpur and other villages in the area have a number of poultry farms run by local entrepreneurs and a breakout of the avian flu runs the risk of spreading fast.
Last month, similar fowl deaths were reported from a private poultry farm at Begunbari in Falakata. In that case the samples tested negative for the H5N1 virus.

 

[HenryN]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

Samples of dead birds culled<!EpnHeading10End>
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, February 11: Following the reported death of 16 chickens mysteriously all of sudden one after another in a chicken shops at Kalinagar of Jiribam Sub-Division under Imphal East District, officials of the Veterinary Department today collected samples of the dead fowls and some of the carcasses culled and buried.

However, related symptoms of Bird flu have been detected from none of the death birds.

Meanwhile, a public awareness campaign on poultry farming, bird flu and insemination was organised by the Deputy Director of Veterinary office, Jiribam, today at the town hall of the sub-division, reports our Jiribam correspondent.

Nodal Officer on Bird Flu Dr K Gopal stressed the need to protect ourselves against bird flu during the campaign.

Deputy Director of Veterinary Office, Jiribam Dr Saroja also spoke at the occasion.

According to Extension Officer of Veterinary Office, Jiribam M Mangi noted that no case of bird flu has been detected i the sub-division till date.

http://e-pao.net/GP.asp?src=10..120208.feb08

 

[HenryN]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top colSpan=4>Bird flu fear in Jalpaiguri village</ARTTITLE>
12 Feb, 2008, 1908 hrs IST, <ARTAG>PTI</ARTAG>
</TD></TR><TR><TD style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 10px" vAlign=top align=middle width="100%" colSpan=4><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left>JALPAIGURI: Fear of bird flu is looming over Umacharanpur village in Jalpaiguri district, which has so far remained unaffected by the disease, with 1245 poultry deaths being reported in the last two days.

Animal Resources Development department sources said another 300 chicken were reported to have died this morning in the village in Falakata area, which has 125 poultry farms on contract with a leading Tamil Nadu-based company.

The authorities were informed of the situation by the panicking villagers and ARD department officials have rushed to the area, ARD deputy director Bidyut Baran Roy said.

Samples from the dead chicken have been sent for testing, he said.

Avian influenza had affected 16 out of the 19 districts in the state and culling operations had been completed.

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http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-2777266,prtpage-1.cms

 

[HenryN]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

UN experts review flu situation
Statesman News Service
KOLKATA, Feb. 11: Experts from Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) today visited bird flu-affected areas of the state ahead of the review meeting to be held by the state government to discuss lifting the ban on chicken trading and transportation.
A two-member FAO team led by their chief technical advisor today met animal resources department officials and took stock of the situation after the recent outbreak of avian influenza in 13 districts of the state. They also visited flu-affected Budge Budge today and are scheduled to visit Birbhum, Malda, Murshidabad and South Dinajpur where the epidemic had spread.
The experts will again meet state government officials on 15 February to assess the situation.
Mr Anisur Rahman, state ARD minister, said the FAO would meet with the state officials after visiting the avian influenza affected areas. ?They would see whether everything is in order, especially after the culling operation was completed. They would suggest proper steps if they feel some additional measures are required,? said the minister.
Meanwhile, two state government departments, health and ARD would meet tomorrow to discuss lifting the prohibition on chicken trading and transportation as mopping and disinfection exercises are nearing its end. The ban was imposed in the state on 5 February.
Prior to lifting the ban, a discussion with the Centre would also be held. Mr Rahman today said the director of animal resource department is keeping in touch with the Centre regularly. ?

http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=22&theme=&usrsess=1&id=190678

 

[HenryN]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

Bird flu: 3 weeks after offer, India accepts US help</ARTTITLE>
13 Feb 2008, 0213 hrs IST

,

Kounteya Sinha

,

TNN

SMS NEWS to 58888 for latest updates

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left>NEW DELHI: India has finally agreed to accept American help in combating the bird flu outbreak in West Bengal.

Almost three weeks after the US government offered India help and a week after US ambassador David Mulford wrote to agriculture minister Sharad Pawar offering technical support, the animal husbandry ministry is now writing to the MEA, communicating its willingness to accept the offer.

Thirteen of the 19 districts in West Bengal have been infected by the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza. But the good news is that not a single new district has reported an outbreak since February 2.

This has made the ministry officials believe that "the worst may finally be over".

With culling of birds almost over in West Bengal, the Centre now wants to utilize US help in disinfection operations. It also wants help in culling those backyard poultry which have been missed by surveillance teams.

Animal husbandry secretary Pradeep Kumar confirmed India's plans. He said, "We will write to MEA soon to ask US to provide us with superior tools to carry out culling, containment and disinfection operations. At present, birds are culled by breaking their neck. India wants US to supply fumigation chambers to cull birds." Also, disinfecting areas won't be easy, specially with backyard poultry. "We want improved technological tools to carry out meticulous disinfection of infected districts," Kumar added.

The US is the global leader in funding efforts to combat avian and pandemic influenza. In the recently concluded International Ministerial Conference on Avian and Pandemic Influenza in New Delhi, US raised its pledge to $629 million (Rs 2,469 crore) for bird flu related operations.

US special representative on avian and pandemic influenza John E Lange said, "US is engaged in efforts to prevent the spread of bird flu in poultry and avert the possibility of a human pandemic. We are facing a deadly virus and the world must confront it united ? the alternative could be catastrophic."

Meanwhile, Orissa has still not started preventive culling operations in the state. The Centre had asked Jharkhand, Assam and Orissa to cull all poultry within a 5-km radius from Bengal border as a preventive measure. But the issue has got embroiled in a legal tangle.

(kounteya.sinha@timesgroup.com)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/rssarticleshow/msid-2777936,prtpage-1.cms

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[sharon sanders]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="articleheader">Chicken and egg back
</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="articleauthor">OUR BUREAU </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="story" align="left">

Calcutta, Feb. 12: Poultry products will be available in most of Bengal, including Calcutta, from Wednesday.​

The government has decided to lift the eight-day-old ban on the movement and sale of chicken, duck and quail and their eggs in 17 out of 19 districts from tomorrow.​

The ban will only be partially withdrawn in Birbhum and Murshidabad — the worst hit among the 14 districts affected by bird flu.​

In Birbhum and Murshidabad, movement of poultry will be allowed from organised farms. Unorganised (backyard) farms will have to get certificates from animal resource deputy directors before moving poultry.​

Police camps will be set up on the borders of the two districts to ensure that uncertified products are not smuggled out.​

Animal resource development minister Anisur Rahman said poultry farming would not be allowed for three months in culled areas. They account for 8 per cent of the area under poultry farming in the state.​

The West Bengal Poultry Welfare Association welcomed the decision to lift the ban. “We have lost over Rs 10 crore because of the ban,” said Tapas Bandopadhayaya, the association president.​

Rahman said tonight that he had heard that nearly 1,800 chickens in Jalpaiguri had died over the past two days. Samples will be sent for tests.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080213/jsp/frontpage/story_8896928.jsp



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[sharon sanders]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=4 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=articleheader>1500 chickens starved to death

</TD> </TR> <TR><TD class=articleauthor>OUR CORRESPONDENT</TD></TR> <TR><TD class=story align=left> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 width=172 align=left border=0> <TBODY><TR> <TD> </TD> </TR> <TR> <TD class=articleauthor align=left> Had your cereals? </TD> </TR> </TBODY></TABLE>

Krishnagar, Feb. 12: Two poultry owners starved nearly 1,500 birds to death in Ranaghat, Nadia, because they could not afford to feed and not sell them.​

The ban on sale and purchase of poultry birds was in force in Nadia from January 20.​

The district administration today confirmed that the chickens of Swapan Biswas and Ashish Sikdar of Panikhali village, about 70km from Calcutta, had died not of avian influenza but starvation.​

Biswas and Sikdar informed the administration last Saturday that most of their chickens had died and the dead ones and some live birds were dumped in septic tanks.​

The administration had sent samples from the dead birds for post-mortem. “The test, conducted two days ago, revealed that the birds were starved to death,” said district magistrate Onkar Singh Meena.​

The decision to go for a post-mortem, Meena said, was taken as officials had suspected foul play. “There has been no chicken death even in backyard poultry in the Jugolkishore panchayat area. The deaths in farms that are looked after far more scientifically made us suspicious.”​

The duo could be charged under the prevention of cruelty to animal act and with misleading the administration, Meena said.​

They had not provided food to the chickens for a week. If charged under the cruelty to animals act, the two may be jailed for up to a year.​

The DM said the poultry owners had confessed to their crime in writing and apologised. “I’ve forwarded their confession letter along with my report to the government. We will do whatever the government recommends.”​

The deputy director of the animal resource development department in Nadia, Amalendu Haldar, said the poultry owners “should have approached the department, if they were not in a position to feed their chickens”.​

One of the two men in the dock pleaded innocence. “I’ve lost about Rs 30,000 since the ban was imposed. How could I feed the chickens? It’s not that I did not want to feed them, I did not have the money or energy to look after the birds,” said Biswas.​

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080213/jsp/bengal/story_8896814.jsp​

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[sharon sanders]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="articleheader">Wanted: witness for flu compensation
</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="articleauthor">OUR CORRESPONDENT</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="story" align="left"> <table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="172"> <tbody><tr> <td>

</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="articleauthor" align="left"> Worried: Tahamina Bibi. (Amit Biswas) </td> </tr> </tbody></table>

Krishnagar, Feb. 12: Thousands of families in the bird flu-hit blocks of Nadia run the risk of not getting the Rs 500 the government has promised as they had not reported the death of their backyard chickens.​

Tahamina Bibi had lost 15 chickens a fortnight before the flu was confirmed in Tehatta on January 19. She ate some and threw the rest in a field.​

The resident of Kanainagar, about 160km from Calcutta, is not sure if she would get the money as it will be difficult for her to prove the deaths.​

With five children in her home and a heart-patient husband, the 45-year-old woman is now requesting neighbours to testify before the panchayat about the chicken deaths in her house.​

?I?m at the mercy of my neighbours. I don?t know whether they will help me. They told me a village meeting will be held soon,? she said.​

Like her, Sahid Sheikh, 40, of Panditpur was scared of being denied the money. ?I didn?t realise that recording the deaths was important. All my seven chickens died and I simply threw them in a bush outside the village,? he said.​

Sahid asked village elders to tell the panchayat that he was not lying about the deaths.​

Junior panchayat minister Bankim Ghosh said villagers who had not recorded the death of their poultry birds would have to produce witnesses. ?If they had died before flu was declared, the owners would have to show where they were buried or dumped.?​

Over 250 villages and one municipal area have been affected by the flu in Nadia?s Te- hatta, Nakashipara, Kaligunj, Krishnagar, Haringhata and Kalyani. About a lakh people have recorded chicken deaths.​

Animal resource development minister Anisur Rahman said it would be difficult to provide compensation to those whose poultry deaths were unrecorded. ?I hope their number is small. I?ve asked the district magistrate to carefully screen compensation claims,? Rahman said.​

However, the panchayat department said the government would rely on local witnesses to provide compensation to villagers like Tahamina.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080213/jsp/bengal/story_8896812.jsp#



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[HenryN]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

Bird flu fear grips Bengal again

February 13th, 2008 - 8:58 pm ICT by admin <!-- Email to friend -->- Email This Post
<!-- NO IMAGE -->Falakata (West Bengal), Feb 13 (ANI): The fear of bird flu has gripped Bengal again after over 402 birds were found to be affected by the virus in Falakata village.
?On learning about the death of 1000 poultry birds, we visited this place. Over 402 birds were affected. We have sent the samples to test. Until the report and observations are known, nothing can be confirmed,? said Dr Shantanu Goshal, Veterinary Officer.
Authorities in West Bengal had on Tuesday lifted the ban imposed on the sale and transport of poultry and poultry products.
Animal Resources Development Minister Anisur Rahaman said the ban was lifted in the wake of there being no fresh outbreak of bird flu.
Chicken vendors in Kolkata expressed happiness over the announcement.
?Yesterday, the Government had lifted the ban on sale of chickens. I had twenty chickens, and now, I have only three left as I sold the rest. We have had good sales today,? said Kunal Das, a chicken seller.
Around 1.50 lakh poultry birds have died of avian influenza, while 38 lakh or over six percent of the total poultry in the State has been culled.
A total 50 blocks in 16 out of the 19 districts of the state were affected by the bird flu virus. (ANI)

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/india-news/bird-flu-fear-grips-bengal-again_10017466.html
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[HenryN]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

Backyard poultry deaths reported from Bongaon

Express news service
Posted online: Thursday, February 14, 2008 at 0218 hrs IST
Kolkata, February 13
Despite the government?s claim of having completely controlled the avian flu in the state, lifting the ban on the sale and movement of poultry will take at least three more months, if WHO guidelines for epidemic control are abided by. Moreover, reports of dozens of samples from various districts, including those not directly affected so far, are awaited.

Fresh cases of backyard poultry deaths were reported from Bongaon today. The government is sending samples to the Bhopal laboratory.

?Avian flu has been completely controlled here. We lifted the ban because there is no proof of the bird flu spreading, and neither has any case of human infection surfaced yet. But it is true that results of some samples are yet to come in,? said Anisur Rahman, state ARD minister. The minister also confirmed the WHO guideline. ?We have to test the affected areas after three months. Meanwhile, no chicken-rearing can take place there,? the minister added.

According to WHO guidelines, after culling and mopping operations are over, the affected area has to be quarantined for three months and fresh tests undertaken to check if the virus has been contained. Not until reports for the tests (after three months) come negative that the the area can be cited as virus free.

However, at the ground level, even after the state government declared that culling operations were over, chickens, hens and ducks continued to roam around in the villages.

Test results for a large number of samples from Bhopal laboratory are yet to be received by the state government, many of which are from Siliguri and Darjeeling districts, till now not a directly-affected area. Moreover, samples from Hooghly, North and South 24 Parganas are also awaited. So it is not clear whether the virus has spread to other districts, apart from 14 districts which were directly affected.

http://www.indianexpress.com/printerFriendly/272836.html

 

[HenryN]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

First Published: 21:12 IST(14/2/2008)
Last Updated: 21:15 IST(14/2/2008)

A viral spiral


It is unfortunate that there is so much confusion about the bird flu epidemic in West Bengal. The state government had hardly lifted the ban on sale and consumption of eggs and meat of chickens, ducks and quail last Tuesday when new reports of the virus killing more birds started coming in. The ban was in place for a week to ensure prevention of the spread of the lethal H5N1 virus in humans after tens of thousands of poultry birds died. And now news just in suggests that the virus may have reared its head again, affecting hundreds of chickens in Falakata village. Not surprisingly, this has triggered fears that the government could have sounded the all clear too soon.
This reflects the confusion reigning among the public and policy-makers alike about the scourge. The poultry industry?s concerns are understandable, considering that India produces around 1.5 billion chickens and over 44 billion eggs a year. Which makes it as much a question of livelihood for those in the industry as it is a matter of safety for the consumer. The best way to dispel the opaqueness is to educate the people about bird flu, while augmenting current levels of preparedness to respond to it in a timely manner. If the germ mutates into a form that can spread from person to person, it could cause a deadly pandemic of appalling proportions. Methods like culling, after all, are only a first line of defence, and they are futile in the absence of a sensitive surveillance system capable of detecting the emerging strains of a pandemic virus.
This newspaper has always argued for having proper infrastructure on the ground ? like better healthcare facilities and a district-wise surveillance system ? to deal with such emergencies. Health authorities could also establish a system of different levels of disease alert ? ranging from, say, red (very serious) through orange (serious) and yellow (caution) to blue (normal) ? to let people know what to expect. This would have cleared a lot of the confusion that we now see in West Bengal.



http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print.aspx?Id=938c160d-d278-46d7-9bac-adba838fcae6


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[Treyfish]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

Bird flu scare hits poultry business
Friday February 15 2008 00:00 IST
<SMALL>ANI</SMALL>
<SMALL>AMTALI/AGARTALA: Owners and workers of poultry farms in remote parts of Tripura have appealed to the State Government to relax the ban on the sale of birds to ease the crisis their industry is facing in the wake of the bird flu outbreak.

Tripura is currently experiencing a severe scarcity of poultry products because of a government ban on poultry imports from neighbouring West Bengal and from Bangladesh.

The bird flu scare has gripped many Indian states, and has had its epicenter in West Bengal.

Nearly half of Bangladesh?s 64 districts are reportedly affected by avian flu.

Through there is no report of the outbreak of the H5N1 strain of avian influenza in Tripura, the state authorities have decided not to take any chances.

"No birds, means poultry eggs, poultry products or may be the feeds even from Bangladesh and West Bengal should not enter Tripura.

Accordingly we have requested all the check points as well as IG (inspector general) BSF (Border Security Force) that they should look into this aspect," said A Roy Barman, director of Animal Resource Development Department.

Poultry farmers in Tripura?s Amtali town have criticized the state government's decision.

"Because of this decision of the government, our poultry farms are now empty. The government could at least have allowed us to bring in poultry from Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, where there is no bird flu outbreak," said Jahar Shaw, a poultry farmer.

The World Health Organisation has described the rapid spread of bird flu in West Bengal as the most serious outbreak yet in India, which has four times detected H5N1 but which has not reported any human infections.

West Bengal authorities say that the bird flu situation has been brought under control with the culling of about four million birds and the adoption of various other measures.

The state authorities have lifted the ban on poultry products in West Bengal except in 22 blocks in two districts from Wednesday.

India has not reported any human as having been affected by the H5N1 bird flu virus since 2006,:magnify: but experts? fear the H5N1 strain could mutate into a form easily transmitted from person to person, leading to a pandemic.:tiphat: http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEP20080214080336&Page=P&Title=Nation&Topic=0</SMALL>

 

[Treyfish]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

<TABLE class=TableClas cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=heading>Bengal offers goats to chicken farmers</TD></TR><TR><TD height=11></TD></TR><TR><TD class=author>BS Reporter / Kolkata February 16, 2008</TD></TR><TR><TD height=4></TD></TR><TR><TD style="BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(/images/common/gn_005.gif); BACKGROUND-REPEAT: repeat-x"></TD></TR><TR><TD height=9></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=TableClas cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>The West Bengal government wants to distribute goats and lambs to nearly eight lakh distressed backyard poultry farmers to overcome losses sustained in the recent bird flu epidemic and subsequent poultry culling in the state, and tide over the 90-day ban on rearing chickens. </TD></TR><TR><TD height=5> </TD></TR><TR><TD>However, this idea was at the mercy of the Central government, as the state did not have resources to fully roll out the scheme, said Anisur Rahman, animal husbandry minister of West Bengal. </TD></TR><TR><TD height=5> </TD></TR><TR><TD>The total expense on the scheme would be close to Rs 115 crore. ?As there will not be any fresh poultry farming in the notified areas for the next three months, we want to give poultry farmers goats and lambs to support themselves?, he said. </TD></TR><TR><TD height=5> </TD></TR><TR><TD>?We have suggested the Centre to share 50 per cent of the expense involved in the scheme. Earlier, we had projected Rs 75 crore as expense for distributing goats and lambs, but now the figures have gone up at about Rs 115 crore?, he added. </TD></TR><TR><TD height=5> </TD></TR><TR><TD>?It is not possible for the state alone to bear the expense of this sort. The Centre is examining the project,? he claimed. </TD></TR><TR><TD height=5> </TD></TR><TR><TD>The terms and conditions of the scheme were yet to be decided. The state would also dole out Rs 10 each to members of self help groups (SHGs) and people below poverty line (BPL) to start fresh poultry farming in the state after three months, when the ban on chicken rearing would be lifted, Rahman said. </TD></TR><TR><TD height=5> </TD></TR><TR><TD>The state had already sanctioned Rs 35 crore for the scheme, without depending on the Central government aid, he added. </TD></TR><TR><TD height=5> </TD></TR><TR><TD>The state wanted the Centre to share half the expense involved in the scheme. </TD></TR><TR><TD height=5> </TD></TR><TR><TD>?We have asked the Centre to share 50 per cent share of the Rs 35 crore needed to support the SHGs and BPL people involved the poultry business. Without depending on them, we have already sanctioned Rs 35 crore for the purpose,? the minister said. </TD></TR><TR><TD height=5> </TD></TR><TR><TD>Another demand of the state, to bear 50 per cent expense in giving Rs 500 to each bird flu affected families in the state, was yet to be accepted by the Centre, the minister complained. :tiphat: </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
http://www.business-standard.com/common/news_article.php?tab=r&autono=313946&subLeft=1&leftnm=3

 

[Treyfish]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

Saturday 16th February, 2008

Culling begins in 11 Jharkhand villages
<HR style="COLOR: #000066" align=left width="50%">
<SMALL>IANS <SMALL>Saturday 16th February, 2008</SMALL>

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=4 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=bnnstory vAlign=top width="60%">Authorities have begun the culling of poultry in 11 villages of Jharkhand bordering bird flu-hit West Bengal, taking the total number of slaughtered birds to 3.9 million since the exercise began three weeks ago.

Orissa, meanwhile, has still to comply with the central government's direction to cull birds.

Animal husbandry officials here said Saturday that preventive culling in Jharkhand began Friday in the 11 villages of Jamtara district.

They said state authorities also identified 21 villages in Pakur district as 'risk-prone' and 'where culling would start shortly'.

The central government had directed the governments of Assam, Bihar, Orissa and Jharkhand to cull birds in the five-km areas bordering West Bengal as a measure to prevent spread of bird flu which broke out in West Bengal Jan 15.

Though, Assam and Bihar started the exercise, authorities in Jharkhand said they would first identify the trouble spots before carrying out the culling. Orissa is yet to respond to the directive.

Till Friday, about 3.9 million birds were culled in the country since avian influenza was first detected Jan 15. West Bengal, where 13 of the 19 districts were affected with the virus, has stopped culling after no new case was found positive.

However, the officials said, 252 rapid response teams have been engaged in surveillance, mopping, disinfection and sanitization operations in the state.

The poultry depopulation operation in the identified zone in Assam has already been completed. In Bihar, 40 percent of the culling has been carried out, the officials said.
:tiphat: http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=328213
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[Treyfish]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

Sunday 17th February, 2008

Dharamshala residents fear migratory birds may cause bird flu
<HR style="COLOR: #000066" align=left width="50%">
<SMALL>ANI <SMALL>Sunday 17th February, 2008</SMALL>

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=4 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=bnnstory vAlign=top width="60%">Dharamshala, Feb.17 : Himachal Pradesh's Pong reservoir in Dharamshala is a favourite destination for many species of migratory birds. But these days the area is under bird flu threat, as it is feared that these birds could be carrying the H5N1 virus along with them.

Thousands of migratory birds flock to the Pong reservoir that was declared an international wetland in 2001.

These migratory birds, who arrive here during September, stay on till March.

Locals say that regular check up of migratory birds is needed. All of them are worried after the news reports of spread of H5N1 virus spreading in other areas of the country.

"We face threat from migratory birds that come here, the government is not doing anything. They should conduct regular checks. Our poultry birds are under constant threat, as there is danger of their getting infected; so the government must take decisive steps," said Mahesh Kumar, a local resident

These birds are mostly from Siberia, Indonesia, China and also from European countries.

The main species of birds here are geese and ducks, storks, rail gallinules and coots, cranes, shore birds, ibises and spoon bill, herons and egrets, cormorants and darters and grebes.

Over 100,000 birds fly down here every year. But now people are scared of their presence here due to bird flu.

Farmers and local residents around a 42 km area of Pong reservoir say they are living under constant threat of bird flu.

However, the wildlife department has asked the local residents not to panic, as they have sent samples for tests. It has also organised awareness programs.

"This year too we have taken samples of some birds and sent them to the laboratory. Although the results have not been sent by the laboratory, I think it will be negative because no symptoms have been found in any bird," said V.K. Singh, conservator forest wild life at Dharamshala.

Besides, steps are being taken to ensure that migratory birds do not get mixed with domestic poultry of the State.

Around 1.50 lakh poultry birds have died of avian influenza, while 38 lakh or over six percent of the total poultry in West Bengal have been culled.

A total 50 blocks in 16 district out of the 19 West Bengal districts were affected by the bird flu virus.:tiphat: http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=328381</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></SMALL>

 

[Treyfish]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

No way out!
Soumyadipta Banerjee
Sunday, February 17, 2008 23:59 IST

<STYLE> .tool_op img{border:0px;filter:Alpha(Opacity=60);-moz-opacity: 0.6;} .tool_op:hover img{border:0px;filter:Alpha(Opacity=100);-moz-opacity: 1;}</STYLE><SCRIPT> function change_text_size1(c) { if(c==1){ this_size=GetCookie("ts"); oldClass="content11"; } else{ oldClass="content"+this_size+this_size if(this_size<3){ this_size++; } else{ this_size=1; } } newClass="content"+this_size+this_size change_class_class(oldClass, newClass) document.cookie = "ts="+this_size; } function GetCookie(name) { var cookie = document.cookie; var prefix = name + "="; var begin = cookie.indexOf("; " + prefix); if (begin == -1) { begin = cookie.indexOf(prefix); if (begin != 0) return null; } else { begin += 2; } var end = document.cookie.indexOf(";",begin); if (end == -1) { end = cookie.length; } return unescape(cookie.substring(begin + prefix.length, end)); }</SCRIPT>

<!-- image section starts --><TABLE style="MARGIN-TOP: 15px" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=8 align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=spacer align=middle height=2></TD></TR><TR><TD class=PhotoTxt align=right><!-- google ad start --><SCRIPT type=text/javascript><!-- google_ad_client = "pub-8331061652869281"; google_alternate_ad_url = "http://www.dnaindia.com/google_adsense_script.html"; google_ad_width = 250; google_ad_height = 250; google_ad_format = "250x250_as"; google_ad_type = "text"; google_ad_channel ="3829728326"; google_color_border = "FFFFFF"; google_color_link = "00306F"; google_color_bg = "FFFFFF"; google_color_text = "444444"; google_color_url = "00306F"; //--></SCRIPT><SCRIPT src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js" type=text/javascript> </SCRIPT>
<!-- google ad end --></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- image section ends -->Bipasha Basu and her family had a scare when she was shooting in Bengal. The location was in the bird flu zone, reports Soumyadipta Banerjee
Watch your step!
Bipasha was shooting in Shantinekatan in West Bengal?s Birbhum district
The location is near the epicentre of the bird flu epidemic
The state?s Agriculture ministry asked her to restrict her movement
Even Bipasha?s mother and sister were told to stay within the shoot area
She says she misses Mumbai and John Abraham if she stays out of it for more than two weeks, but this time it was a little different.
Bipasha Basu apparently didn?t want to come back to Mumbai during a shooting stint at Shantiniketan in Birbhum district of West Bengal, where Rabindranath Tagore spent most of his creative years. This was Bipasha?s maiden visit to the place.
Interestingly, the area where she is shooting is just a couple of kilometres away from the epicenter of the recent bird flu epidemic in West Bengal which prompted the Centre and even the US government to come to the West Bengal government?s rescue.
Just a month ago, the virus was first detected in the area. Though the state government has declared that the epidemic is under control but the areas where Bipasha is shooting falls within the danger zone.
According to sources in the Agriculture ministry of the West Bengal government, officials had already expressed concern for the actor?s health and the lack of safety and precautionary measures during the shooting. This might be a reason why Bipasha was refused permission to move around Birbhum district.
Bipasha and her family were apparently asked to stay put within the shooting zone. The actor apparently wanted to shop for sarees and see the scenic country locales of Birbhum. <snip>
:tiphat: http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1151397

 

[Treyfish]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

[SIZE=-1]Migratory birds killed by poisoning
[SIZE=-1]From A Correspondent
NAZIRA,Feb 16 ? Despite protests against poaching and killing of wildlife and stress on implementation of the Wildlife Act, some unscrupulous people have been rampantly killing endangered species of birds at Dimow Pathar in Sivasagar district.

According to a member of Natures Bacon, more than 100 migratory birds like Dhritaraj and Sorali ducks were killed by poisoning by unscrupulous people at Dimow Pathar near Bogidole and Joysagar under Joysagar Police Station.

According to information received from some people of the locality, the miscreant have been killing the migratory ducks for last few days by spreading Furadon like insecticides in the paddy fields and the ducks who come in search of food after consuming it and then they are killed and are eaten by the miscreants.

It may be mentioned that in such like poisoning, it spreads out a chain system killing of various type of lives as if the being were fly away from the spot and died in other places, while than, them are eaten by another animals to cause death.

In the last week, Sorali ducks were found near the giant Mechagar tank and the conscious persons of the locality feels that many such birds might have fallen in other places. Condemning the inhuman actions of the bird killing nature lovers and conscious public have urged the authority to take stern actionand demand a probe.:tiphat: http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/details.asp?id=feb1708\State8
[/SIZE][/SIZE]

 

[Treyfish]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

New Delhi
Experts suggest ways to minimise avian flu effects on humans

Bindu Shajan Perappadan Staff Reporter

One important measure is vaccination against seasonal flu
NEW DELHI: The Influenza Foundation of India (IFI), an advisory body to bring awareness on the disease as also its prevention and control, has issued several recommendations to curb the ill-effects of seasonal influenza, especially during the avian flu outbreak.
Stating that in India?s healthcare map avian influenza is currently the most disturbing disease with bird flu cases being reported from several countries in the world, chairman of IFI A. K. Prasad said earlier this week that `?vaccination of person at high risk group, and population exposed to or expected to be exposed to bird flu virus, will help in reducing the risk for a concurrent infections with human as well as bird virus.?
Experts here insist that several measures can be employed to help minimise the global public health risks that could arise from large outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in birds. One important measure is vaccination against seasonal flu.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended the use of seasonal influenza vaccine to select groups at increased risk of exposure to the H5N1 avian influenza virus currently circulating in Asia. ?Targeted vaccination is one of the several measures for reducing opportunities for the simultaneous infection of humans with avian and human influenza viruses,? stated the expert group on influenza.
Said Anant Mohan from the Department of Medicine, AIIMS: ?WHO also indicates that reduced opportunities for dual infections decrease the opportunities for re-assortment and for the eventual emergence of a novel influenza virus which could become a pandemic potential.?
A. J. Chitkara from Max Hospital said: ?Seasonal vaccine is advised for all persons who are expected to be in contact with poultry or poultry farms.?
http://www.hindu.com/2008/02/18/stories/2008021860540300.htm

 

[Laidback Al]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

Blog by Suman Dey, the veterinarian who first identified H5N1 among poultry in Margram, Birbhum District, West Bengal in January 2008.

http://deysuman.blogspot.com/2008/02/bird-flue-in-margram.html

See thread: http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=49068

 

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Feb 5th +

West Bengal duck sample tests positive for bird flu

February 18th, 2008

Bhopal, Feb 18 (IANS) A duck sample from West Bengal has tested positive for avian influenza, an official of the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL) said Monday. HSADL joint director S.C. Dubey told IANS: ?A duck sample from West Bengal?s Nadia district has tested positive for bird flu despite the fact that ducks are less sensitive to the virus.?

Dubey added that samples of various kinds of birds were received from several places in the country but all of them tested negative.

He said HSADL has received 11,250 samples, mainly poultry, in the past one month. These include 888 serum and 559 tissue samples from West Bengal alone.

Of these, 8,250 have been tested and 81 were found bird flu infected. All the positive samples were from West Bengal.

However, none of the about 900 samples received from the state after Feb 4 has tested positive. The lab also conducted 243 post mortem tests on various avian species.

.