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

[Gert van der Hoek]

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

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

Bird flu confirmed, culling begins in four districts of West Bengal


Poultry transport and trade in these places stopped; state accuses Centre of not reacting to urgency of the situation

Siddhartha Sarma

New Delhi: West Bengal is implementing what is likely to turn into the most extensive poultry culling operation in India, since at least 300,000 chickens were killed in Gujarat and Maharashtra two years ago, after the government confirmed the reappearance of bird flu virus after nearly six months.

The virus, confirmed as the deadly H5N1, can infect and kill humans though no human cases have been reported in India so far. The first batches of Tamiflu medicine also reached the state on Tuesday.

The virus has killed more than 200 people worldwide since 2003.
Following news of poultry deaths that emerged on 12 January, culling has started in Birbhum and South Dinajpur districts, with West Bengal administration officials saying culling has also begun in the adjoining districts of Maldah and Mushidabad.

The number of birds on the culling list for these four districts would be near the 300,000 mark, said the Union agriculture ministry, with more than 30 tonnes of feedstock also slated to be destroyed.

“Trade and transport in poultry, all forms of poultry products and feed have been stopped in these four districts by official proclamation,” said West Bengal minister for animal husbandry, Anisur Rehman. “We have also been informed that movement of poultry and products from West Bengal to other states has gone down as of now and might close for the time being.”

West Bengal’s total production of poultry and related products is nearly Rs450 crore (crore = million,ed) per month, from broilers worth Rs100 crore to Rs75 crore of foodstock. This, besides Rs150 crore (million,ed) worth of eggs, foodstock and meat it imports every month from Andhra Pradesh and some other states, according to agriculture ministry data.

The ministry is deciding on the appropriate response at the moment in terms of financial support for West Bengal poultry farmers.
Meanwhile, ministry officials continue to insist that the team of officials despatched to West Bengal was merely to “inspect the situation,” even as the state administration, finding its earlier claim of bird flu vindicated, has alleged that the Centre isn’t responding appropriately.

“We have confirmation...and we have informed the Union ministry accordingly. There can be little doubt about it at this stage, nor were we in doubt earlier. We are taking all possible measures but the Centre has to understand the urgency of the situation,” said Rehman.

“At this stage, we cannot add anything to our conclusions, although it is likely that the virus might have spread from adjoining Bangladesh. It is for the ministry to initiate action,” said S.C. Dubey, head of the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory.

Meanwhile, Union health minister Anbumani Ramadoss held a joint monitoring group meeting to discuss the situation even as two deputy directors from the National Institute of Communicable Diseases also reached the affected districts.

The flurry of activity, claims and counter-claims by the Central agencies and the affected state are similar to the last two instances of confirmed outbreak of the disease in the country. In late July, exactly a day after Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar announced India’s intention to declare itself bird flu-free, massive culling had to be ordered in and around Imphal in Manipur, in which 180,000 poultry had to be culled while 450,000 people had to be given preventive treatment. In February 2006, culling was ordered in Gujarat and adjoining districts of Maharashtra.

For now, humans usually contract the virus only after close contact with infected birds, with the virus killing nearly two-thirds of the people it infects. But experts worry it may mutate into a form easily transmitted from person to person, leading to a pandemic.

Around one-fifth of humanity could fall ill should there be another flu pandemic, according to estimates cited by the World Health Organization, with catastrophic effects on the global economy.

http://www.livemint.com/2008/01/15225127/Bird-flu-confirmed-culling-be.html

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

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

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

Map of West Bengal Districts; in 4 districts outbreaks are reported:

# 7 Birbhum District

# 5 South Dinajpur

# 6 Maldah

# 8 Murshidabad


Note: # 17 is Kolkatta / Calcutta Metropolis

 

[HenryN]

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/01160802/H5N1_Birbhum_WB.html

 

[HenryN]

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/01160803/H5N1_West_Bengal_Culls.html

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

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

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

OIE report, confirming outbreaks in 2 districts:

http://www.oie.int/wahid-prod/public.php?page=single_report&pop=1&reportid=6678

 

[HenryN]

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

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

OIE report, confirming outbreaks in 2 districts:

http://www.oie.int/wahid-prod/public.php?page=single_report&pop=1&reportid=6678

View attachment 2222

Immediate notification report​

Report reference: , Ref OIE: 6678, Report Date: 15/01/2008 , Country: India​

Report Summary​

Disease​

​

​

Highly pathogenic avian influenza Animal type Terrestrial​

Causal Agent​

​

​

Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus Serotype(s) H5N1​

Clinical Signs​

​

​

Yes Reason Reoccurrence of a listed disease​

Date of confirmation of Event​

​

​

15/01/2008 Date of Start of Event 04/01/2008​

Date of report​

​

​

15/01/2008 Date Submitted To OIE 15/01/2008​

Diagnosis​

​

​

Laboratory (basic), Laboratory (advanced) Date Of Last Occurrence 02/08/2007​

Number Of Reported Outbreaks​

​

​

Submitted= 2, Draft= 0 Name of Sender of the report Dr Pradeep Kumar​

Address​

​

​

Dr Rajendra Prasad Road
Room No 231, Krishi Bhawan



New Delhi 110001​

Position​

​

​

Secretary to the Government of India​

Telephone​

​

​

91 11 23382608​

Fax​

​

​

91 11 23388006​

Email​

​

​

secyahd@nic.in​

Entered by​

​

​

Mme Margarita Alonso​

Outbreak (this report - submitted)​

WEST BENGAL Birbhum Rampurhat Unit Type Location Latitude Longitude Start End​

WEST BENGAL Birbhum Rampurhat Village Rampurhat, Nalhati, Mayureswar 24,319 88,377 04/01/2008​

Species Measuring units Susceptible Cases Deaths Destroyed Slaughtered​

Birds Animals 819078 35525 35525 0 0​

Affected Population​

​

​

backyard poultry mainly in small and marginal farms in three villages.
Note by the OIE's Animal Health Information Department: This information is a sum up of outbreaks occurring in three villages.​

Outbreak (this report - submitted)​

WEST BENGAL Dakshin Dinajpur Balurghat Unit Type Location Latitude Longitude Start End​

WEST BENGAL Dakshin Dinajpur Balurghat Farm Balurghat 25,381 89,296 07/01/2008​

Species Measuring units Susceptible Cases Deaths Destroyed Slaughtered​

Birds Animals 1710 261 261 0 0
Printed on: Wed Jan 16 12:07:05 Paris, Madrid 2008 Page 1/3​

Affected Population​

​

​

a small farm with a capacity for about 2000 birds​

Outbreak summary: Total outbreaks = 2 (Submitted)​

Species Susceptible Cases Deaths Destroyed Slaughtered​

Birds 820788 35786 35786 0 0​

Epidemiology​

Epidemiological comments​

Epidemiological investigation is ongoing. Stamping out of all domestic poultry is being applied in an approximately 5-km-radius zone around the outbreaks followed by compensation of the owners. An intensive surveillance campaign has been launched in a 10-km-radius zone including:
- closure of poultry markets and prohibition on sale and transportation of poultry products in the infected zone;
- disinfection of premises after culling and sealing of premises where appropriate.
Restocking will be applied in accordance with a specific protocol.​

Source of Infection​

​

​

? Unknown or inconclusive​

Control Measures​

? Stamping out​

Applied​

​

​

? Quarantine
? Movement control inside the country
? Screening​

To be applied​

​

​

? Disinfection of infected premises/establishment(s)
? Dipping / Spraying​

Animals treated​

​

​

No​

Vaccination Prohibited​

​

​

No​

Country / Zone​

Country or zone​

​

​

a zone or compartment​

Diagnostic test results​

Laboratory Type Name of Laboratory Species Test Type Date Results Provided Result​

National laboratory National Institute of Virology, Pune Birds reverse transcription ? polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) 15/01/2008 Positive
National laboratory National Institute of Virology, Pune Birds real-time PCR 15/01/2008 Positive
National laboratory High Security Animal Disease Laboratory, Bhopal Birds reverse transcription ? polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) 15/01/2008 Positive
National laboratory High Security Animal Disease Laboratory, Bhopal Birds real-time PCR 15/01/2008 Positive
National laboratory High Security Animal Disease Laboratory, Bhopal Birds haemagglutination inhibition test (HIT) 15/01/2008 Positive
National laboratory High Security Animal Disease Laboratory, Bhopal Birds haemagglutination (HA) test 15/01/2008 Positive
National laboratory High Security Animal Disease Laboratory, Bhopal Birds virus isolation 15/01/2008 Positive​

Future Reporting​

What further reports will be submitted in relation to this event?​

There are 2outbreaks that are still recorded as unresolved. It is not possible to declare this event resolved until these individual outbreaks are resolved.​

Immediate notification report. Report reference: , Ref OIE:

 

[HenryN]

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

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

No human infection reported due to bird flu: Pawar</ARTTITLE>
16 Jan 2008, 1743 hrs IST

,

ANI

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/ KOLKATA: Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said that there have been no reports of humans getting infected by the bird flu after its outbreak was confirmed in West Bengal.

Pawar said he was confident that the authorities would succeed in controlling the outbreak of the avian flu in West Bengal's Birbhum District and South Dinajpur District.

"There is definitely a limited problem on the Bangladesh border, but we have taken immediate action. The country has faced twice this type of problem and we never tried to hide anything," Pawar told reporters.

He further said that the government is trying to concentrate the virus in that particular area and is confident that the situation will be normalised.

When asked whether any human infection has been reported, Pawar said "No not even one."

The government confirmed on Tuesday that the latest outbreak of bird flu in West Bengal was of the virulent H5N1strain.

Veterinary workers have begun culling of thousands of chicken in the State.

In all 55 teams of the State Animal Resources Development department have fanned out to 105 villages under Birbhum District, as culling of birds began on Wednesday.

Animal Resources Development Minister Anisur Rahaman had on Tuesday said that over 3.5 lakh birds in Birbhum and 26,000 in South Dinajpur District would be culled.

West Bengal has sealed a stretch of its border with Bangladesh, which has been fighting to contain the spread of bird flu since March last year.

Meanwhile, North Eastern states have sounded an alert and sealed borders to prevent entry of birds into the region.

All the NE states sharing borders either with Bangladesh or with West Bengal have alerted the borders.

This is the fourth outbreak of the H5N1 strain in Indian poultry since 2006.

According to initial assessment, about 35,525 poultry in 102 villages of Birbhum District's six blocks and 288 poultry in a poultry farm in South Dinajpur District have died during the last one-week.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-2705464,prtpage-1.cms

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[HenryN]

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

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

<TABLE class="" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="90%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=column2 vAlign=top align=middle><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top colSpan=4>NE on alert, seals border to check entry of birds </ARTTITLE>
16 Jan, 2008, 1816 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>SHILLONG: With West Bengal hit by bird flu, North Eastern states have sounded an alert and sealed borders to prevent entry of birds into the region.

All the NE states sharing borders either with Bangladesh or with West Bengal have alerted the borders to prevent entry of birds following instruction from the Central government, official sources said.

Meghalaya Animal Husbandry and Veterinary director Dr D Khonglah said check points in the entire stretch of the 443 km of Bangla border have put on high alert.

Quick response teams in the state have been conducting preparedness drills, while required aid and medicines are kept ready, Khonglah told the media.

The government of Meghalaya had set up 21 temporary check gates last year along the international border, and also constituted a rapid response team to keep a check on cross-border movement of poultry and poultry products.

Task forces, recently constituted in all the districts to monitor the situation, have been asked to remain vigilant as import of chicken and poultry products from the neighbouring country continues to remain banned.

Officials here said the BSF was also closely monitoring the border areas. The BSF has also issued instructions to its personnel in the border observation posts and camps not to eat chicken and poultry products.

According to officials, the H5N1 avian flu virus was first reported near Dhaka in March last year and has since spread mainly to northern districts and authorities have been forced to kill more than 300,000 chickens.


http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-2705525,prtpage-1.cms


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[Gert van der Hoek]

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

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

From Ministry of Agriculture

Press Information Bureau
Government of India


ALL STEPS BEING TAKEN TO CONTAIN BIRD FLU

55 RAPID RESPONSE TEAMS START BIRD CULLING IN BIRBHUM


The report from the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory, Bhopal that one sample each from districts of Birbhum and South Dinajpur has tested positive for H5 A1 virus was received in the afternoon of 15th January 2008 around 1.30 p.m. The laboratory tests to establish N-typing of the virus take 5 or 6 days.

Immediately after getting the report from the HSADL, Bhopal, the Government of West Bengal was notified and they were requested to take immediate necessary action as per the Action Plan communicated to all the State Governments in November, 2006.

Senior officers of DADF are already available on the spot in both Birbhum and South Dinajpur districts to advise and guide the State Government officers.

As per the report received from the State of West Bengal, 55 Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) have started operation of culling the birds in the affected area of Birbhum district from this morning. Two teams have started operations of culling in the South Dinajpur district.

Training and health check-up of the RRTs to be deployed for culling operations was completed on 15th January, 2008. All the members of the team have been provided personal protective equipment like gloves, masks etc. For digging of pits of dispose off the culled birds, 10 JCBs have been mobilized in Birbhum and one in South Dinajpur. Arrangements for payment of compensation on the spot have been made by the State Revenue Department.

As per the available information, the mortality has taken place in three areas viz. five blocks and one municipality in Birbhum, State Poultry Farm, Balurghat, Dakshin Dinajpur and three villages of adjoining Murshidabad district. The problem is, therefore, localized. However, Government of West Bengal and another neighbouring States like Jharkhand and Bihar have already been alerted for maintaining high level of surveillance.

A meeting of district authorities of the Birbhum district, State Animal Husbandry Department officers and officers of the Central Team was held on 15th January, 2008 (evening) to finalise the strategy for control and containment operations.

As per latest information, a total mortality of 54402 poultry birds has taken place in the Birbhum district, 1000 poultry birds in three villages of Khargaon Block falling in the adjoining district of Murshidabad and 266 poultry birds in the State Poultry Farm, Bolurghat, South Dinajpur.

On receipt of report of mortality of 1000 birds in three villages of Khargaon block in Murshidabad district samples have been collected for sending to the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory, Bhopal. Intensive surveillance in adjoining areas is continuing for any unusual mortality of poultry bird.

In order to spread awareness about the bird flu, the district administration has also printed about two lakhs pamphlets in Bangla.

http://pib.nic.in/release/rel_print_page1.asp?relid=34670

Bird Flu in Murshidabad not confirmed, testresults pending.

 

[HenryN]

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

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

From Ministry of Agriculture

On receipt of report of mortality of 1000 birds in three villages of Khargaon block in Murshidabad district samples have been collected for sending to the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory, Bhopal. Intensive surveillance in adjoining areas is continuing for any unusual mortality of poultry bird.

In order to spread awareness about the bird flu, the district administration has also printed about two lakhs pamphlets in Bangla.

http://pib.nic.in/release/rel_print_page1.asp?relid=34670

Bird Flu in Murshidabad not confirmed, testresults pending.

Map of Murshidabad (with Khargaon block)

http://murshidabad.gov.in/maps.htm

 

[Laidback Al]

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

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

Maof of the four West Bengal Districts where poultry outbreaks of H5N1 have been reported:

Birbhum District
South Dinajpur
Maldah
Murshidabad

Note that these four areas border the Dinajpur and Rajshahi Regions in Bangladesh.

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

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

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

Bird flu: Culling on in West Bengal, States on alert


Wednesday, 16 January , 2008, 20:45


Kolkata/New Delhi: Indian authorities on Wednesday launched efforts to contain the spread of bird flu to cull an estimated 3,78,000 poultry birds in the affected areas of West Bengal though some people protested the operation while the neighbouring States were also put on alert.

Only 1,500 and 2,000 poultry birds were culled in the two affected districts of Birbhum and South Dinajpur respectively, officials said.

"The culling was not so high because it was the first day," Birbhum District Magistrate Tapan Kumar Som said. He said in two villages of Birbhum, Budia and Tetulia, villagers did not allow the culling of birds.


In Birbhum about 25,000 backyard poultry birds had died in the past two weeks.

In South Dinajpur district, official sources said 2,000 chickens and ducks were culled.

According to Som, in Rampurhat block I and II, people brought hens, ducks and eggs and collected compensation slips at the rate of Rs 40 for a big hen or duck and Rs 30 for a smaller one.

In New Delhi, Pradip Kumar, secretary of the department of animal husbandry, ministry of agriculture, said: "West Bengal started the culling operation early Wednesday and we have asked some neighbouring states like Bihar and Jharkhand to be on alert."

Kumar told reporters that in the last 10 days, over 55,000 poultry had died in West Bengal. Of the total deaths, Birbhum district alone account for 54,402 deaths.

India confirmed an outbreak of bird flu in two districts of West Bengal Tuesday and mounted efforts to contain it.

Kumar said at least 1,000 poultry birds in three villages of Khargaon block in the adjoining district of Murshidabad and 266 poultry birds in a farm in South Dinajpur had also died.

"Samples of dead birds have been collected from Murshidabad district for testing at the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory of Bhopal. Intensive surveillance in adjoining areas is continuing for any unusual mortality of poultry bird," he added.

According to health ministry officials, some northeastern States were asked to be on alert as well.

"Looking at the July 2007 bird flu outbreak in Manipur, northeastern States have been asked to be on alert," said a top health ministry official.

The border with Bangladesh has been sealed in the affected areas, especially South Dinajpur which shares a long border with the neighbouring country.

Officials said in worst affected Birbhum district about 55 teams were formed to both inform the people about bird flu and identify the sick birds.

Control rooms were also being set up in each block of the affected regions under the supervision of West Bengal's Additional Chief Secretary Kalyan Bagchi and Animal Resource Development director Dilip Das.

Clad in safety masks, gloves, the rapid response teams were seen culling birds in the two affected districts.

The process of culling was slow and entirely unorganised, those involved in the operation said.

"We started the culling operation at around 10 am. At least 3,50,000 birds would be culled in Birbhum district and about 28,000 in South Dinajpur district," West Bengal Animal Resource Minister Anisur Rahman told IANS earlier.

"Our workers have fanned out in the five affected blocks and one municipal area of Birbhum to kill poultry birds in an area of about 3 km radius. In South Dinajpur's Balurghat area, the culling would take place in an area with five km radius," Rahman said.

"We have already disbursed Rs 1 crore (milion) for (compensation to poultry owners in) Birbhum district and a proportionate amount for South Dinajpur where the affected area is not as large."

As the news about the deadly avian flu spread, prices and demand for chickens nose-dived in Kolkata markets.

A market in Jadavpur area in south Kolkata was selling chicken for Rs 40 per kg, less than half the normal price range of Rs 80-100, but there were no takers for the favourite meat of the Bengalis.

"There is surely a panic. We have hardly sold anything since morning," a shop owner at Poddarnagar market of Jadavpur said.

"We will not have chicken till the danger is over. We can have mutton and more fish now. In fact, we have stopped having eggs too," said Sonali Das, a homemaker in Lake Gardens in south Kolkata.

West Bengal Poultry Welfare Association assistant secretary Najrul Islam told IANS that the owners would hold a press conference with the concerned minister (Rahman) to make the people aware and dispel unfounded apprehensions.

"We are also taking care so that the infection could not spread further. We are also providing medication and trying to disinfect the poultry farms," Islam said.

More than 35,000 birds died in the past two weeks in the State ? mostly in Birbhum district's Margram village area, about 280 km from Kolkata. There were deaths in Balurghat area of South Dinajpur district, about 400 km from in Kolkata.

Reports of poultry bird deaths also poured in from Murshidabad district, adjoining Birbhum.

On Tuesday, a door-to-door inspection of people with suspected symptoms of avian influenza began in Margram village, the epicentre of the epidemic.

"Our health workers have been fanning out in the entire area," Birbhum chief medical officer Sunil Kumar Bhowmick said.

Selling and buying chicken has already been banned in Rampurhat I and II and the Rampurhat municipal area in Birbhum.

Meanwhile, Orissa was colleting samples of dead migratory birds from the Chilika Lake.

As a precautionary measure, Jharkhand banned the import of chicken from West Bengal and constituted a three-member team to keep a tab on the bird flu situation in the State.

The State government was particularly worried about three border districts of Dumka, Pakur and Sahebganj, which abut Birbhum district of West Bengal, an official said. The team would collect samples for testing from the area and ensure that the ban on chicken from West Bengal is implemented.

West Bengal is the fifth State in the country to have been struck by an outbreak of H5N1 bird flu since the first one in Maharashtra in February 2006. Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Manipur were also affected in the past.

In Nandurbar district of Maharashtra in 2006, about a million birds were culled after the presence of the H5N1 virus was confirmed.

The 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.

Avian influenza experts said speed in extinguishing the outbreak is crucial. The State government will need to prevent the movement of poultry out of the affected area.

http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14589996

 

[Shannon Bennett]

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

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

http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/17/stories/2008011755891200.htm

Bangladesh border sealed


Gargi Parsai










<CENTER>[SIZE=-2]? Photo: Arunangsu Roy Chowdhury [/SIZE]

PREVENTIVE MEASURES: Chickens being taken for culling at Dhakhalbati village in Margram, West Bengal, on Wednesday. </CENTER>
NEW DELHI: The Centre has ordered the culling of nearly 4-lakh poultry birds in two districts of West Bengal after the outbreak of bird flu in the region was notified on Tuesday.
The border with Bangladesh ? where bird flu has been raging for several months ? has been sealed, and the adjoining States of Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa have been put on high alert.
As realisation dawns that the highly pathogenic avian influenza threatens to be a pandemic, India is considering favourably a proposal of the Food and Agriculture Organisation for a joint mechanism of surveillance among India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar, said Union Animal Husbandry Secretary Pradeep Kumar on Wednesday.
Mr. Kumar pointed out that the first unusual deaths in West Bengal occurred on January 4 and the matter was reported to the Centre on January 11. So far, unusual deaths of about 54,402 poultry in 102 villages of Birbhum district and of 266 poultry birds in a State Poultry Farm in South Dinajpur district have occurred. On Wednesday, it spread to three adjoining villages in Murshidabad.
According to Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, the France-based OIE (World Organisation of Animal Health) had been informed of the outbreak, as per the international protocol. He denied that India had received any advisory to ban poultry exports.
?The incidence is localised and the Action Plan has been put in place to contain it. Restrictions have been imposed on movement and trade of poultry from West Bengal. There are no reports of infection in humans. The situation is under control.?
Although the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory in Bhopal confirmed on Tuesday that the unusual deaths of poultry birds were from the highly pathogenic H5 avian influenza virus, the laboratory tests to establish N-typing of the virus will take five to six days, said Mr. Kumar.
So far, the bird flu cases in India have been of the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain.


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[Gert van der Hoek]

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

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

Some snips from situation in Andra Pradesh (AP), no outbreaks reported, high alert.

A.P. steps up vigil following bird flu outbreak

-snip -

More than 5,000 veterinary teams, each comprising a doctor and a para-veterinarian, have been asked to take up an immediate round of inspection of poultry farms. Each team would be covering five-six villages.

Besides, the teams and the industry has also been advised to look for ?respiratory problems? and keep a strict vigil on the poultry population, Dr. Mohan said.

- snip -

The animal husbandry officials have decided to increase checks, collection of sera samples from poultry facilities in and around Hyderabad and Telangana.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/17/stories/2008011750440500.htm

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

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

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

West Bengal: Culling begins, villagers smuggle out birds

17 Jan 2008,

RAMPURHAT/KOLKATA: The rapid response teams that descended on Birbhum on Wednesday to contain the bird flu outbreak weren't quick enough. Villagers smuggled out thousands of chickens — many of them possibly infected — to avoid having them killed. There is now a real danger of the deadly disease spreading to other parts of the state.

Already, bird flu deaths have been reported in new areas in Birbhum and even Murshidabad, which was untouched by the virus, state animal resource minister Anisur Rahman admitted on Wednesday.

The bigger shock is that the flu may have moved closer to Kolkata, with hundreds of "unusual bird deaths" reported from Baruipur in South 24-Parganas, less than 25 km from Kolkata. The minister, however, denied these deaths were due to bird flu.

The culling got off to a faltering start in Rampurhat block-I and II, with villagers refusing to hand over their birds to the health department. Most eventually surrendered their poultry, but a significant number of chickens were either sold or smuggled out. The operation will extend to Nalhati Block I and II and Mayureshwar over the next couple of days.

It seems the state went to battle without a plan. The government had hoped to cull at least one lakh chickens on the first day but could manage only about 3,000. In one case, villagers gathered all their chicken and waited for health officials, but they never came.

There was little effort to educate villagers about the need for culling and nothing was done to keep them away from their poultry. Fifty-five culling teams spread across 105 villages in the two blocks, including Margram, the epicentre of the outbreak but when villagers saw the officials in masks and gloves, they panicked.

Health officials spent most of the day trying to convince people about the culling — something that panchayats were supposed to have done the day before. "It was difficult to persuade them. Finally, we warned them about the dangers of contracting avian flu and some of them relented. It led to a waste of valuable time," said a health official.

With the threat of an epidemic looming large, villagers gathered in droves to watch the culling. The health officials were the only ones wearing protective suits. Villagers handed over their poultry with their bare hands. There was no effort to drive people away from the culling sites. Experts say this could be dangerous because the disease spreads through droplets in the air.

There was tension in Margram's Baganpara when poultry owners faced off with health officials on the number of birds that were to be culled. Even as the culling continued, chicken was discreetly sold in the affected areas.

Many admitted that they had not buried the eggs despite being asked to do so. Though the government has sanctioned Rs 2.5 crore as compensation, chicken farmers are unhappy with the amount being paid per bird.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...ers_smuggle_out_birds/articleshow/2706267.cms

 

[Shannon Bennett]

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

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

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...d_flu_virus_origin/rssarticleshow/2706273.cms

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width="100%">[FONT=Arial, Helvetica,sans-serif]<ARTTITLE>Scientists' team will try to find out bird flu virus origin</ARTTITLE>
17 Jan 2008, 0054 hrs IST

,

Kounteya Sinha

,

TNN

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="PADDING-TOP: 5px" colSpan=2><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="FONT-SIZE: 11px">

Print</TD><TD style="PADDING-LEFT: 20px; FONT-SIZE: 11px">javascript:showdivlayer('2706273','t','close');</TD><TD style="PADDING-LEFT: 20px; FONT-SIZE: 11px">javascript:openWindowmail('/mail/2706273.cms');</TD><TD style="PADDING-LEFT: 20px; FONT-SIZE: 11px">http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...virus_origin/rssarticleshow/2706273.cms#write</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=4 height=2></TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=5>
</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=4 height=5></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left><!--google_ad_region_start=article-->NEW DELHI: A high-level team of scientists being put together by the Union health ministry will soon look into the genetics of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus, that has been isolated from the outbreak in West Bengal.

The team will analyse the strain, detect where it came from, what type and how pathogenic it is. Being finalized by ICMR, the team will have scientists from National Institute of Communicable Diseases (Delhi), National Institute of Virology (Pune) and National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (Kolkata) ? all labs that now have Bio Safety Level-III facility to test human samples infected with bird flu.

The decision to form the team was taken by Union health secretary Naresh Dayal during two separate meetings that took place on Tuesday after the animal husbandry department formally informed him of the fresh bird flu
outbreak. However, India is still not certain whether the virus that has been isolated from West Bengal is H5N1.

"What we know is that the virus is H5 and so highly pathogenic for birds. HSADL is presently testing to determine if it is the equally dangerous N1 subtype. Confirmation will come in 5 days time. Initial reports said it is H5N1," secretary, animal husbandry, Pradeep Kumar said. Dayal told TOI: "While NICED and NIV will mainly test human samples, NIV will conduct the genetic studies of the strain. The team will start genetic studies soon."

Influenza A subtype H5N1 is the one that can cause illness in humans and other animal species. While HA is found on the surface of the influenza virus and is responsible for binding the virus to the cell that is being infected, NA is an enzyme found on the surface of the virus that facilitates the release of progeny viruses from infected cells. The virus, that was detected from the outbreak in Manipur in July 2007, was the highly pathogenic Qinghai strain of H5N1, which was capable of infecting humans and originated in China's midwestern province of Qinghai.

The strain has a mutation that helps the virus grow at temperatures found in human noses, which are cooler than the insides of the bird's intestines. Scientists at HSADL (Bhopal), who carried out the genetic sequencing of the genes HA and NA of the virus, said: "The cleavage site of the genes in the Manipur virus had over six basic amino acids which determined its tremendous toxicity." Dr H K Pradhan, former chief of HSADL, said the higher the content of amino acid, the more lethal the virus is.

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[Shannon Bennett]

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

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

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEQ20080115222051&Page=Q&Title=ORISSA&Topic=0&
Bird flu, no threat in Orissa
Wednesday January 16 2008 08:42 IST
<SMALL>Express News Service</SMALL>

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<SMALL>BHUBANESWAR: The State Government on Tuesday said it was not perturbed by the outbreak of bird flu in West Bengal and assured that all precautionary measures have been taken to prevent such a situation in Orissa.

?We are alert and precautionary measures have been taken,? Minister for Fisheries and Animal Resources Development Golak Bihari Nayak told this website?s newspaper.

The Minister said he reviewed the situation and there has been no report of unusual poultry casualties in the bordering districts of Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar and Balasore.

He said officials have been deputed to monitor the situation. Besides, Orissa does not depend on West Bengal for poultry, he said, adding that the disease has minimum chance of spreading in the State.</SMALL>

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

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

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

Unconfirmed stories, saying bird flu is spreading in more districts

Thousands of chickens die in Nadia too

Statesman News Service

KRISHNAGAR, Jan. 16: Coming at a time when the deadly H5N1 avian influenza or bird flu virus is spreading terror in Birbhum, South 24-Parganas and other districts in West Bengal and neighbouring Bangladesh, the deaths of thousands of chickens in some villages of Nadia bordering Bangladesh for the past 15 days have sent alarm bells ringing.

The possibility seems strong since at least 5,000 chickens have died of an unknown disease and villagers of Srirampur, Pratapnagar, Jannagar, Kanainagar, Kanchantala, Rajapur and Uttar Tazpur under the Tehatta-I block and Burnia under Tehatta-II block are panicking as the affected chickens had not responded to the medication.

Though the symptoms were akin to the Ranikhet disease, the medicines used to combat the virus did not work on the chickens, said Mr Jinnat Ali, upa pradhan of Kanainagar gram panchayat.

Mrs Saraswati Biswas, panchayat pradhan of Kanainagar gram panchayat, said: “At least 5,000 chickens have died of an unknown disease at several villages in the panchayat during the last 15 days. The first symptoms were detected when the birds looked drowsy. They died within 48 hours.

Hundreds of villagers from Uttar Tazpur, Pratapnagar and Rajapur had the same experience. The deaths have been particularly worrisome, since villagers, mostly from the minority community depend on these birds for their livelihood.”

Mr Arup Sengupta, Tehatta sub-divisional officer, said: “I have received information about the deaths of some chickens in a few villages yesterday but it is yet to be confirmed whether the birds died of flu. The district health department and animal husbandry officials were in the spot today and they have taken measures to combat the situation.”

Mr Onkar Singh Meena, district magistrate, said: “We are prepared for any eventuality. The veterinary officers and health officials are working in the affected villages and collecting samples. We will first send the samples to Kolkata for identification of the virus and if the reports do point at bird flu, we will take steps.”

The Kanaipur panchayat today banned the sale of birds in the panchayat area and neighbouring villages from where abnormal mortality of chickens has been reported. The India-Bangladesh border has been sealed to prevent chicken entry from Bangladesh.

At Baruipur in South 24-Parganas also, more than 50 chickens died in two poultry farms over the past five days triggering fears that Avian Flu struck the district.

According to reports, district administration has sounded an alert after death of birds were reported. Blood samples of chickens of these two firms have been sent to the city for tests. Unofficial sources said that nearly 200 birds had died in Baruipur over the past week.

http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=6&theme=&usrsess=1&id=186078

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

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

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

Districts of West Bengal:

Confirmed bird flu

# 5 South Dinajpur

# 7 Birbhum District

Unconfirmed reports from:

# 6 Maldah

# 8 Murshidabad

# 10 Nadia

# 18 South 24-Parganas


Note: # 17 is Kolkata / Calcutta Metropolis

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

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

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

Few ready to hand over birds for culling

some snips

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Margram (Birbhum), January 16 : On the first day of culling operations in Birbhum areas hit by bird flu, it was a wild goose chase for health officials with villagers being reluctant to hand over their livestock, at times even resisting the effort.

The authorities on Wednesday fell well short of their target of culling 3.5 lakh birds in affected villages.

The main point of resentment among the villagers was that the compensation offered by the state Government was too little. They complained that Rs 40 (for a full grown chicken) was too meagre an amount in exchange for their birds.

In sharp contrast to the officials with special goggles, jackets and footwear, villagers gathered at culling spots mostly bare bodied. Chickens and ducks were roaming around the spots, with many of the ducks swimming in adjacent ponds. But when officials called on the villagers to co-operate, they curtly asked the officials to catch the birds themselves.

Villagers also informed that on Tuesday there was a feast of duck and chicken in many villages.

http://www.indianexpress.com/story/262266.html