India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 13 - Jan 20

HenryN · Jan 20, 2008

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

<TABLE class=contentpaneopen><TBODY><TR><TD class=contentheading width="100%">Bird flu spreading fast in West Bengal: Update </TD><TD class=buttonheading align=right width="100%">

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Kolkata, Jan 20: The deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu was spreading further in West Bengal, outpacing culling operations, a minister confirmed Sunday.
The southern district of Bankura was the latest addition to the list of affected areas, taking to six the total number of districts in the grip of the deadly virus.
"Bird flu in Saltora block of Bankura district has been confirmed by the HSADL (High Security Animal Disease Laboratory), Bhopal, while we have confirmation of the strain from new areas of the existing districts," West Bengal Animal Resource Development Minister Anisur Rahman told IANS.
"Nanoor in worst-hit Birbhum district and three more blocks - Suti I, Sagardighi and Beldanga I - are added to the list," he said.
"We are increasing the number of Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) to 400 from the existing 200 to keep pace with the spread of bird flu," Rahman said.
"The culling was affected Sunday because of Muharram, but we hope to cope up with the challenge," he said.
While the minister could not spell out the exact number of poultry birds culled, he said around 130,000 chicken and ducks were culled since Wednesday when the operation began.
The state set a target of slaughtering 400,000 poultry but with the spread of the disease to new areas at least 300,000 more birds will have to be killed.
The six affected districts are Birbhum, South Dinajpur, Murshidabad, Nadia, Burdwan and Bankura.
The minister said the culling was almost complete in Balurghat in South Dinajpur, about 375 km from here.

Reacting to the central government's criticism of the measures taken in West Bengal, Rahman said that the flu outbreak in Maharashtra in 2006 was in a farm.
"But here you have to deal with poultry birds in backyards. In many places, the villagers consider the poultry as part of their family and do not want to part with them.
"We are doing our best going by the fact that something like this has happened for the first time in the state," Rahman said.
Union Minister of State for Health Panabaka Lakshmi had said here Saturday: "We are not satisfied (with the measures to combat bird flu)." Although she did not specify where the state was lacking, she alleged that the compensation for poultry owners was not properly distributed.
About 100,000 poultry deaths were reported in West Bengal in the past three weeks.
Meanwhile, the forest department has decided to monitor thousands of migratory birds from Siberia and East Europe that visit the state every winter.
More officials have been posted at Santragachi Lake in Howrah, 10 km from Kolkata, where migratory birds started arriving in October.
The state government has allocated Rs.30 million for compensation to those losing their poultry birds, Rahman said.
Farmers were being handed over tokens at culling sites and asked to contact their panchayat or village block offices for the money. The payment is Rs.40 for a country chicken, Rs.30 for a broiler and Rs.10 for a chick.
While the minister claimed that culling operations had been stepped up, reports from the districts said the process was slow, often due to villagers' resistance.
But in areas where a large number of poultry birds had died of the infection, the villagers were eager to offer their chickens and ducks for culling.
The H5N1 virus causes a type of influenza in birds that is highly contagious and can be deadly. It does not usually infect people unless they come in close contact with infected birds or contaminated surfaces.

http://www.khabrein.info/index.php?...=view&id=11307&Itemid=88&limit=1&limitstart=1
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HenryN · Jan 20, 2008

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

Bankura blocks

http://bankura.gov.in/Map/administration.bmp

Treyfish · Jan 20, 2008

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

Bengal culls WHO norms
health officials cry foul
Rajib Chatterjee
KOLKATA, Jan. 19: The state government is not following the guidelines laid down by the World Health Organisation while culling birds, increasing by manifold the risk of the H5N1 virus spreading. Some senior state health department officials alleged this today.
Dr Sachhidananda Sarkar, chief medical officer of Health, South 24-Parganas, said. ?WHO does not allow the way in which birds are being culled in the state. The culling is being done in an open place, which is in violation of WHO guidelines. If the guidelines are followed, more birds may be culled sooner.?
Health officials said culling of birds in an open place involved a lot of risk. ?Air may also be a medium of transmission. So, culling should not be done in an open place. After culling, the birds have to be buried properly,? Dr Sarkar said. ?Full-grown birds can be suffocated to death after making them unconscious by giving them food laced with sodium phenobabbital. If 60 mg of sodium phenobabbital is poured in 50ml of drinking water, a full grown chicken would lose consciousness within four hours of consuming the solution,? he said.
?According to WHO, the culled birds should be first made unconscious by giving them food laced with a medicine ~ Alfa Cloralose. After this, the birds can be suffocated to death,? Dr Sarkar said.
Another state health official said that culled birds were not being disposed of properly.
The WHO also says that 100 birds should be dumped in an eight-foot-deep pit with a volume of 12 cubic-feet and that the surface of the pit should at least be 64 sqft. A state health official said: ?WHO guidelines on dumping of culled birds are not being followed. The WHO says that birds should be dumped at least eight feet under the ground. And, that the ground should be layered with bleaching power and lime afterwards. But this is not being done in Birbhum and some other districts where birds are being culled.":tiphat: http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Jan202008/national2008012047641.asp

Treyfish · Jan 20, 2008

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

Flu in new areas
Kolkata/New Delhi, Jan 19: Bird flu in West Bengal has spread to new areas, tests confirmed today. ?The new areas are Burdwan and Nadia districts. The laboratory tests in Bhopal confirmed the spread of the disease to Mangalkot and Purbasthali in Burdwan and Tehatta in Nadia. It was also confirmed that the deaths in Murshidabad's Khargram and Baroa were also from the virus,? animal resource development minister Mr Anisur Rahaman said. The agriculture ministry said in a statement in New Delhi today: "Samples from four blocks of Murshidabad (Khargram, Burwan, Nowda and Nabagram), one block of Nadia (Tehatta) and two blocks of Burdwan (Mongalkote and Purbasthali) have been found positive by rapid tests. The samples from South 24-Parganas, Cooch Behar, Purulia and Hooghly have tested negative." The Centre has decided to order culling of birds in areas reporting large-scale deaths of poultry and birds without awaiting test results. SNS:tiphat: http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=1&theme=&usrsess=1&id=186692

Treyfish · Jan 20, 2008

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="90%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR align=left><TD>GOOD GRIEF!
Birds of a fetter
What is the favourite occupation of government offices in the city? Musical chairs and pass-the-buck. But why only blame government offices? These two happy pastimes are also favourites with residents of the City of Oh-what-a-Joy. Who is responsible for the bird flu epidemic in the state? Birds, unhygienic farmers, the BSF, or even better, the Avian flu virus. Birds should not have wings. Farmers should give their birds regular showers. The borders should be airtight. The Avian flu virus is an illegal immigrant. Who brought the craze of eating murgh musullam to the city? Those northern cooks. Blame them! Who suggested that we make money from selling eggs? NECC. Blame them! Who laid the egg? The chicken. Down with hens. And the eggs they popped out of. Blame the eggs too!:tiphat: http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=23&theme=&usrsess=1&id=186737

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Treyfish · Jan 20, 2008

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

Sunday, January 20, 2008
Bird flu spread outpaces culling in Bengal From correspondents in West Bengal, India, 09:31 PM IST

The deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu was spreading further in West Bengal, outpacing culling operations, a minister confirmed Sunday.
The southern district of Bankura was the latest addition to the list of affected areas, taking to six the total number of districts in the grip of the deadly virus.
'Bird flu in Saltora block of Bankura district has been confirmed by the HSADL (High Security Animal Disease Laboratory), Bhopal, while we have confirmation of the strain from new areas of the existing districts,' West Bengal Animal Resource Development Minister Anisur Rahman told IANS.
'Nanoor in worst-hit Birbhum district and three more blocks - Suti I, Sagardighi and Beldanga I - are added to the list,' he said.
'We are increasing the number of Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) to 400 from the existing 200 to keep pace with the spread of bird flu,' Rahman said.
'The culling was affected Sunday because of Muharram, but we hope to cope up with the challenge,' he said.
While the minister could not spell out the exact number of poultry birds culled, he said around 130,000 chicken and ducks were culled since Wednesday when the operation began.
The state set a target of slaughtering 400,000 poultry but with the spread of the disease to new areas at least 300,000 more birds will have to be killed.
The six affected districts are Birbhum, South Dinajpur, Murshidabad, Nadia, Burdwan and Bankura.
The minister said the culling was almost complete in Balurghat in South Dinajpur, about 375 km from here.
Reacting to the central government's criticism of the measures taken in West Bengal, Rahman said that the flu outbreak in Maharashtra in 2006 was in a farm.
'But here you have to deal with poultry birds in backyards. In many places, the villagers consider the poultry as part of their family and do not want to part with them.
'We are doing our best going by the fact that something like this has happened for the first time in the state,' Rahman said.
Union Minister of State for Health Panabaka Lakshmi had said here Saturday: 'We are not satisfied (with the measures to combat bird flu).' Although she did not specify where the state was lacking, she alleged that the compensation for poultry owners was not properly distributed.
About 100,000 poultry deaths were reported in West Bengal in the past three weeks.
Meanwhile, the forest department has decided to monitor thousands of migratory birds from Siberia and East Europe that visit the state every winter.
More officials have been posted at Santragachi Lake in Howrah, 10 km from Kolkata, where migratory birds started arriving in October.
The state government has allocated Rs.30 million for compensation to those losing their poultry birds, Rahman said.
Farmers were being handed over tokens at culling sites and asked to contact their panchayat or village block offices for the money. The payment is Rs.40 for a country chicken, Rs.30 for a broiler and Rs.10 for a chick.
While the minister claimed that culling operations had been stepped up, reports from the districts said the process was slow, often due to villagers' resistance.
But in areas where a large number of poultry birds had died of the infection, the villagers were eager to offer their chickens and ducks for culling.
The H5N1 virus causes a type of influenza in birds that is highly contagious and can be deadly. It does not usually infect people unless they come in close contact with infected birds or contaminated surfaces.:tiphat: http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070610/region.htm

HenryN · Jan 20, 2008

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

<TABLE width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=2>Bird flu in WB spreads to 6th district

PTI | January 20, 2008 | 21:38 IST

Bird flu in West Bengal spread to a sixth district Bankura and poultry deaths were reported on Sunday from new areas of the state including in northern districts of Darjeeling and Cooch Behar.
The culling of birds in the five affected districts of Birbhum, South Dinajpur, Mushidabad, Nadia and Burdwan were also stepped up. Officials said in Kolkata that till Saturday more than 122,000 birds were culled though it fell far short of the targetted 4 lakh figure.
The Centre has also sent a team to neighbouring Jharkhand and Bihar to monitor the ground situation there. Teams will be also sent to Mumbai and north-eastern states.
"As per the report of HSADL, Bhopal, the sample from Bankura has also tested positive. Further more samples from Nadia, Birbhum and Mushidabad districts have also tested positive," the Union Animal Husbandry Department said.
A total of 98,254 poultry mortality has been reported from Birbhum, South Dinajpur, Mushidabad, Nadia, South 24 Parganas, Burdwan and Bankura districts of West Bengal.
The Centre said that more samples have been sent to the HSADL, Bhopal, from Howrah, South 24 Parganas, Hooghly, Kolkata, Burdwan, Malda and West Midnapore.
Reports of avian deaths have been reported from far-flung areas in Darjeeling and Cooch Behar triggering panic.
Visiting Union Minister of State for Health Panabaka Lakshmi, who on Saturday said the Centre was not happy with the steps taken by the West Bengal government, on Sunday expressed her displeasure at the lack of infrastructure of an isolation ward at Bolpur sub divisional hospital.
In relief for the government, officials said none of the 1.94 lakh people screened in the affected districts were affected by the bird flu.
Amid public resistance to culling operations in some areas, personnel involved were demanding police protection.�

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http://www.rediff.com///news/2008/jan/20bird1.htm

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Treyfish · Jan 20, 2008

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

Dead chickens in gunny bags sparks bird flu fears

Kancheepuram, Jan 20: The detection of 300 dead chickens, packed in three gunny bags and dumped near a crematorium here, today sparked fears of bird flu even as the District Collector has ordered an inquiry into the incident.
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Sources here said the gunny bags were found on a small bridge in Chinna Kancheepuram. On information, Ward Councillor Manoharan informed the same to Municipality Commissioner Venkatesan. A sample of five chickens were taken for chemical testing while the rest were buried.

Authorities are also investigating if the chickens were dumped by those from a nearby poultry farm. District Collector Santosh K Misra said he had ordered an inquiry by the veterinary officials and sought to allay the fears of the public on any outbreak of H5N1 virus here.

The Tamil Nadu Government, on January 18, discounted any fears of bird flu in the state and said people could consume chicken and eggs without any apprehension.

Animal Husbandry Minister Geetha Jeevan said the government had taken all precautionary measures and 'people need not have any apprehensions.' After the Centre confirmed the outbreak of the deadly disease in two districts of West Bengal, the State Government had sent serum samples of chicken from various parts of the state to the Central Laboratory in Bangalore and the results proved negative.

''The samples are being sent periodically to monitor the situation,'' she added.

As part of preventive measures, it was decided to stop rearing chickens and all vehicles, coming from West Bengal, were subjected to thorough checks.

Steps had been taken to ensure the poultry business in Namakkal remains unaffected, she said, adding ''officials are also keeping close vigil over the 14 bird sanctuaries in the state.'' As many as 200 'strike teams' have been formed to visit poultry farms and take immediate steps in case there is any sign of outbreak of the disease. :tiphat: http://www.newkerala.com/one.php?action=fullnews&id=15103

Treyfish · Jan 20, 2008

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

:tiphat: Sand:tiphat: Bird flu in WB spreads to 6th district

January 20, 2008 21:38 IST

"Bird flu in West Bengal spread to a sixth district Bankura and poultry deaths were reported on Sunday from new areas of the state including in northern districts of Darjeeling and Cooch Behar.

The culling of birds in the five affected districts of Birbhum, South Dinajpur, Mushidabad, Nadia and Burdwan were also stepped up. Officials said in Kolkata that till Saturday more than 122,000 birds were culled though it fell far short of the targetted 4 lakh figure.

The Centre has also sent a team to neighbouring Jharkhand and Bihar to monitor the ground situation there. Teams will be also sent to Mumbai and north-eastern states.

"As per the report of HSADL, Bhopal, the sample from Bankura has also tested positive. Further more samples from Nadia, Birbhum and Mushidabad districts have also tested positive," the Union Animal Husbandry Department said.

A total of 98,254 poultry mortality has been reported from Birbhum, South Dinajpur, Mushidabad, Nadia, South 24 Parganas, Burdwan and Bankura districts of West Bengal. The Centre said that more samples have been sent to the HSADL, Bhopal, from Howrah, South 24 Parganas, Hooghly, Kolkata, Burdwan, Malda and West Midnapore.

Reports of avian deaths have been reported from far-flung areas in Darjeeling and Cooch Behar triggering panic." -excerpt :tiphat:

http://ia.rediff.com/news/2008/jan/20bird1.htm

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Treyfish · Jan 20, 2008

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

Mysterious disease spreads fear of bird flu among humans

Barrackpore, Jan 20: Fear of bird flu break-out spread in parts of North 24 Parganas, where 15 people, including nine children were reported to developed rashes.
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Municipality source here today said measles-like rashes that erupted on the skin of 15 people of three families of Navin Palii in Kanchrapara municipal area in North 24 Parganas caused panic here.

While there had not been any official reports on the spread of the infection, Councillor Ira Majumdar said she has reported the matter to Chairman Sankar Basak.

Municipal authorities have, however, decided to send a medical team to examine the patients of several houses in Ward No 3, where some patients complained of suffering insect bites from a neighouring house, where the house-owner reared a few hens.

At least, nine residents of the house, where the hens were reared, including three children aged between six months and six years, have also been affected, another victim Jiban Krishna Das, a 38-year old neighour said.

Local physicians, who could not confirm the cause of the rashes, have directed the patients to report to a local hospital, while the owner of the house in question had been advised to kill the hens affected by the insects.

Meanwhile, a veterinary team, from the district headquarters in North 24 Parganas, visited Bilkanda under Ghola police station, where death of some hens were reported yesterday.

The medical team has, however, not found any clue as to the reason behind the outbreak of bird flue in that area, official sources said. Similar reports of death of hens from some houses in North Kulberia under Gopalnagar police station came to the district headquarters, source added.
--- UN:tiphat: http://www.newkerala.com/one.php?action=fullnews&id=14998

vinny · Jan 20, 2008

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

are skin rashes symptoms of bird flu in humans...........?

Treyfish · Jan 20, 2008

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

Mutton shortage in Kashmir, butchers selling chicken

Srinagar, Jan 20: The Kashmir valley is facing acute shortage of mutton as almost all meat shops remained closed and butchers are now selling chicken.
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In the past, mutton shortage was being faced only when the Srinagar-Jammu national highway remained closed for a week. But this time due to zero import of sheep and goats from other states, particularly from main mandi at Delhi, butchers had closed their shops.

Official sources said the wholesale mutton dealers from Kashmir are unable to import sheep and goats because of strike in the Bakra Mandi at Delhi against the alleged harassment by the supporters of Maneka Gandhi to them in Haryana.

The prices of chicken has also increased by Rs 15 to Rs 20 per kg during the past one week.

Kashmir imports maximum mutton from northern states, including Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, as an average of 5000 sheeps and goats are being consumed daily in Kashmir. However, the number increased during festivals and marriages.

More than 30,000 chicken were also being consumed by the people in the valley everyday, maximum of which also comes from outside.

The crisis would further intensify if the strike in Delhi mandi does not end soon, as wholesale mandis in other northern states are not in a position to meet the total requirement.

The wholesale dealers from Kashmir alleged that they face problems when they enter Haryana as activists of an NGO headed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Meneka Gandhi are asking them to pay huge money for allowing them to carry 140 sheeps in a truck.

More than 20 truck-loads of sheep were arriving everyday in valley before the strike. :tiphat: http://www.newkerala.com/one.php?action=fullnews&id=15080

Treyfish · Jan 20, 2008

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

Samples show no bird flu in Jammu and Kashmir ; authorities still alert

Srinagar, Jan 20: Asking people not to panic, authorities in Jammu and Kashmir said more than 300 samples taken for determining the presence of bird flu tested negative.
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Though no case of bird flu was reported from any part of the state, the authorities have taken all measures to prevent transportation of any such virus into the state, official sources said.

A senior officer of Animal Husbandry department said the government has set up a check-post at Lakhanpore where doctors and other staff members of the department were posted to check poultry birds before allowing them entry in the state.

Similarly, another check post has been set up at Qazigund where similar checks are being conducted before allowing any truck carrying the birds to enter the valley, he said.

We have made all arrangements to prevent the virus from entering the state, he said.

About the outbreak of bird flu in West Bengal, the officer said, the state is very far away from here. Though it spreads through air also, but there was no report about bird flu in the states which are very close to West Bengal, he added.

He said people should not panic as our local and imported birds are safe.

The officer informed that more than 300 samples were collected and all of them tested negative.

About the chances of bird flu virus entering the state through migratory birds, he said, the department had also conducted tests of migratory birds which too was negative.

He said the department was keeping constant check over migratory birds and there was no reason to panic. He, however, added that the poultry being imported from other states was healthy and free from any disease.

However, he added that the Department has decided to impose ban on the movement of poultry during night. :magnify:

The state health department, meanwhile, has directed all Chief Medical Officers in the state to be prepared for any eventuality.

Though there was no report of bird flu, the health department has directed all rapid response teams to be ready in case of any contingency, they said.

However, the health department has decided to launch an information campaign to inform the people about the dos and dont's in case of an outbreak of the disease. :tiphat: http://www.newkerala.com/one.php?action=fullnews&id=15091

HenryN · Jan 20, 2008

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/01200804/H5N1_West_Bengal_Spread.html

HenryN · Jan 20, 2008

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

Culling drive intensified in Bengal

Joydeep Sen Gupta, Bano Haralu

Sunday, January 20, 2008 (Birbhum, West Bengal)

Six days after bird flu was officially confirmed in a government poultry farm in Ballughat in Birbhum district of West Bengal, it has now spread to a total of five districts. And the fight to prevent further spread of the virus is proving to be an uphill task.

With bird flu spreading in West Bengal, the Union Minister of State for Health, Panabaka Lakshmi on Sunday said she was not happy with the way the culling operations have preceded.

The minister took a tour of the affected areas in the worst hit Birbhum district. The state government admits that they need more culling teams out in the field.

It also said that their numbers would go up from 60 to 300 from Monday. The government needs to cull four lakh birds by Saturday.

In addition to culling chickens in the affected areas, they will have to do the same in a five kilometers radius as well to ensure the virus doesn't spread.

But the order seems to have come a little too late.

Since the 15th of January when the deadly strain of the virus was confirmed, it has already spread to places in five districts.

Delay in handing out compensation has made villagers angry, which coupled with ignorance about the disease is making the task more difficult.

The awareness drive hasn't quite taken off. And where it has, it hasn't quite driven home the message.

''People are still eating chicken here. They are not aware of bird flu. In fact, most of them are unlettered. Besides, the government officials are failing to make the people aware of this disease,'' said Rohid Biswas, resident, Margram village.

There is also fear among villagers, the fear of losing their only source of income. A couple of days ago, Ranjit Mahara, a small poultry farmer in Birbhum killed himself.

He had recently taken a loan of two lakh rupees to expand his business.

In far away Kolkata, organized poultry farmers are nervous. Their business is suffering.

For the last four days, food inspectors and vets have visited outlets in municipal areas pretty regularly to ensure what people buy is healthy.

Though there's no reason to panic demand for chicken has dipped. On Saturday, prices dropped 50 per cent.

Vendors are now making distress sales as they need to pay their suppliers.

''Depending upon the number of chickens, I buy fifty or 100 I have to give him the money regardless of whether I am able to sell it or not. I am extremely worried about how long I can continue like this,'' said Arshad Ali, chicken vendor.

The chicken outlet in New Market has never been quite like this before it's a complete contrast to what it is on normal days.

Ghiaud din and Salim, who have been in poultry business for the late thirty years are even scared to bring 20 chickens a day to be sold. Normally they would bring a 100 chiickens to be sold. The bird flu scare is affecting the business.

''We want to tell the public to eat chicken. There is no scare for so many days we have been eating it. If there was any sickness, we would not be selling it,'' said Salim, villager.

The government says all necessary measures are in place. It is confident that the crisis will soon blow away.

And with Panchayat elections due in May, it will only help the government's cause, if that confidence translates into swift action on the ground.

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080039060&ch=1/20/2008 9:35:00 PM#

HenryN · Jan 20, 2008

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

vinny said:
are skin rashes symptoms of bird flu in humans...........?

Bleeding under the skin is an H5N1 symptom.

HenryN · Jan 20, 2008

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

Mysterious disease spreads fear of bird flu among humans

Barrackpore, Jan 20: Fear of bird flu break-out spread in parts of North 24 Parganas, where 15 people, including nine children were reported to developed rashes.
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Municipality source here today said measles-like rashes that erupted on the skin of 15 people of three families of Navin Palii in Kanchrapara municipal area in North 24 Parganas caused panic here.

While there had not been any official reports on the spread of the infection, Councillor Ira Majumdar said she has reported the matter to Chairman Sankar Basak.

Municipal authorities have, however, decided to send a medical team to examine the patients of several houses in Ward No 3, where some patients complained of suffering [COLOR=blue! important][FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif][COLOR=blue! important][FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]insect [/FONT][COLOR=blue! important][FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]bites[/FONT][/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR] from a neighouring house, where the house-owner reared a few hens.

At least, nine residents of the house, where the hens were reared, including three children aged between six months and six years, have also been affected, another victim Jiban Krishna Das, a 38-year old neighour said.

Local physicians, who could not confirm the cause of the rashes, have directed the patients to report to a local [COLOR=blue! important][FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif][COLOR=blue! important][FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]hospital[/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR], while the owner of the house in question had been advised to kill the hens affected by the insects.

Meanwhile, a veterinary team, from the district headquarters in North 24 Parganas, visited Bilkanda under Ghola police station, where death of some hens were reported yesterday.

The medical team has, however, not found any clue as to the reason behind the outbreak of bird flue in that area, official sources said. Similar reports of death of hens from some houses in North Kulberia under Gopalnagar police station came to the district headquarters, source added.
--- UNI

http://www.newkerala.com/one.php?action=fullnews&id=14998

Treyfish · Jan 20, 2008

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

Centre rushes teams to NE, Ori: Poor health scenario in WB, Minister

New Delhi, Jan 20: The Centre today said it was rushing health teams to Orissa and Northeastern states for an on-the-spot assessment following the outbreak of Bird Flu in West Bengal, even as Union Minister of State for Health Panabakka Lakshmi lamented the ''pathetic health scenario'' in WB.

The Bird Flu situation has resulted in the culling of 1,21,908 poultry birds and destruction of 68,972 eggs in West Bengal in the past few days.

One joint team of the Health Ministry and the Department of Animal Husbandry have already been dispatched to Jharkhand and Bihar, an official statement said here.

The move came in the wake of samples sent from Bankura, Nadia, Birbhum and Murshidabad districts of West Bengal testing positive for Bird Flu at the HSADL lab at Bhopal.

Besides the culling, Bird Flu had claimed 98,254 poultry birds in the districts of Birbhum, Dakshin Dinajpur, Murshidabad, Nadia, South 24 Parganas, Burdwan and Bankura (all in West Bengal).

Talking to UNI in Bolepur in West Bengal after paying a surprise visit to the Bolepur Sub-Divisional Hospital and Primary Health Centre, Ms Laksmi expressed serious concern over the ''pathetic health scenario'' in West Bengal and alleged that the poor people were deprived of proper health care facilities.

''Despite the Centre extending all possible cooperation in tackling the situation as well as providing masks, ventilators and other necessary equipment to contain the disease, the West Bengal government has failed to handle the alarming crisis created by the outbreak of Avian Influenza.'' Ms Lakshmi alleged that the condition of the isolated wards in which the affected patients were being treated, and which she had personally overseen, was ''abject''.

Meanwhile, unofficial reports received from various parts of the state said a few birds had died of unnatural causes at Habra, Bilkanda and Bongaon areas of North 24 Parganas district.

However, no official confirmation was yet received on whether the areas were declared Bird Flu-hit.

The Jharkhand government has sealed the borders of its nine districts and constituted a high-level committee to monitor the situation following the deadly Avian flu in West Bengal.

Official sources said the committee, headed by Chief Secretary P P Sharma, yesterday decided to seal borders of Ranchi, Singhbhum, Chaibasa, Dhanbad, Bokaro, Dumka, Jamtara, Pakur and Sahebganj with the neighbouring West Bengal.

However, they said there were no reports of bird-flu in the state so far.

In Uttar Pradesh, the Forest department at Siddharthnagar has sounded an alert in Bakhira Bird Sanctuary to prevent the spread of the epidemic.

Sanctuary's in-charge D K Lal said, ''Birds were being kept under observation these days, Siberian birds had migrated here, who would return to their home at the end of winter season.'' There were no reports of the disease in the state. However, District Magistrates in the state have been asked to carry out regular check-ups in the poultry farms, belonging to both government as well as private owners.

The Andaman and Nicobar administration has imposed a total ban on the import of poultry and poultry products from Kolkata.

In an official order, it also restricted all Airlines and ships from importing poultry products with immediate effect.

In Jammu and Kashmir, more than 300 samples taken for determining the presence of bird flu tested negative, authorities said.

Though no case of bird flu was reported from any part of the state,, the authorities have taken all measures to prevent transportation of any such virus into the state, official sources said.

Meanwhile in Tamil Nadu, Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss allayed fears of the people saying there was no chance of the dreaded Bird flu hitting the state.

There was no need for any panic regarding Avian flu in the state. ''All necessary steps have been taken to prevent the spread of Bird flu in West Bengal'', he told reporters on the sidelines of a function.

According to reports from Kancheepuram in Tamil Nadu, the detection of 300 dead chickens packed in three gunny bags and dumped near a crematorium sparked fears of Bird Flu. The District Collector has ordered an inquiry into the incident.

Sources said the gunny bags were found on a small bridge in Chinna Kancheepuram. :tiphat: http://www.newkerala.com/one.php?action=fullnews&id=15066

Treyfish · Jan 20, 2008

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

Union Minister criticises health facility;mystery rashes in N24 parg

Kolkata, Jan 20: Fear of bird flu spread in parts of North 24 Parganas, close to Kolkata, where 15 people were reported to be suffering from rashes, even as a Union Minister today expressed grave concern over the 'pathetic health scenario' in the state.
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Barrackpore Municipality sources today said measles-like rashes had erupted on the skin of 15 people, including nine children, of three families of Navin Palli in Kanchrapara municipal area in North 24 Parganas, causing panic there.

While there had not been any official reports on the spread of the infection, Councillor Ira Majumdar said she had reported the matter to Chairman Sankar Basak.

Municipal authorities had, however, decided to send a medical team to examine the patients of several houses in Ward No 3, where some people had complained of suffering insect bites from a neighouring house where the house-owner reared a few hens.

Meanwhile, in Bolpur Union Minister of State for Health Panabakka Lakshmi expressed serious concern over the 'pathetic health scenario' in the state and alleged that the poor people were deprived of proper health care facilities.

Talking to UNI after paying a surprise visit to the Bolpur Sub-Divisional Hospital and Primary Health Centre, she said, ''Despite the Centre extending all possible cooperation in tackling the situation as well as providing masks, ventilators and other necessary equipment to contain Avian Influenza, the state government has failed to handle the alarming crisis created by the outbreak of bird flu.'' Ms Lakshmi alleged that the condition of the isolated wards in which the affected patients were being treated and which she had personally overseen, was 'abject'.

''There are no proper beds and other essential equipment and they are also found wanting in hygiene and safety precautions,'' she said.

The minister is scheduled to hold a meeting with the state Health department officials here tomorrow to review the steps taken to control the dreaded disease, official sources said.
--- UNI:tiphat: http://www.newkerala.com/one.php?action=fullnews&id=14999

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Treyfish · Jan 20, 2008

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

Re: India sounds bird flu alert after chicken deaths; H5N1 confirmed

WB's poor deprived of health facilities: Union Minister

Bolepur/Kolkata, Jan 20: Union Minister of State for Health Panabakka Lakshmi today expressed serious concern over the 'pathetic health scenario' in West Bengal and alleged that the poor people were deprived of proper health care facilities.
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Talking to UNI here after paying a surprise visit to the Bolepur Sub-Divisional Hospital and Primary Health Centre, she said, ''Despite the Centre extending all possible cooperation in tackling the situation as well as providing masks, ventilators and other necessary equipment to contain the disease, the state government has failed to handle the alarming crisis created by the outbreak of bird flu.'' Ms Lakshmi alleged that the condition of the isolated wards in which the affected patients were being treated, and which she had personally overseen, was 'abject'...:tiphat: http://www.newkerala.com/one.php?action=fullnews&id=14989:yinyang: 3 reports with same statement about affected patients in poor isolation?

India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 13 - Jan 20

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