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

[Treyfish]

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

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

January 18, 2008
Bengal to Step Up Culling
to Combat Bird Flu

Kolkata
West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya Friday said the state government would slaughter all poultry birds in areas reporting fresh cases of avian flu even before laboratories confirm the H5N1 strain, after the World Health Organization (WHO) said the current outbreak was the most serious in the country yet.

"So far we have been able to kill 40,000 birds. In the next seven days we will kill all birds (an estimated 400,000) by increasing the number of health and animal resource development (ARD) workers," Bhattacharya told reporters here.

"Our worst affected areas are Rampurhat subdivision in Birbhum district and Balurghat in South Dinajpur, where deaths occurred in government farms.

"But there are reports from Khargram and Baroa in Murshidabad besides Nadia and Burdwan. So we have decided to kill all birds in the new areas even before confirmation from the laboratories," Bhattacharya said.

"Wherever we will hear of new infections, we will kill birds. There are at the moment sixty teams comprising five workers each. We will increase the manpower," he said at state secretariat Writers' Building.

There were reports of fresh bird flu cases in West Bengal Friday as the culling operation proceeded at a sluggish pace at best and WHO warned the outbreak was the worst seen in the country.

Adding to the panic were reports of crows falling dead in Murshidabad district where the avian flu is feared to have spread.

Three days after bird flu was confirmed in the state, the chief minister held an emergency meeting Friday to discuss the situation. Central health ministry officials were also present at the meeting.

Meanwhile, according to reports from districts, the culling operation was ham handed with blood soaked gunny bags stuffed with dead chicken found in drains in Rampurhat area of Birbhum.

Members of the Rapid Response Teams carrying out the culling had allegedly left the bags behind.

As panic about the bird flu spread, Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) officials toured the city's markets and assured people that the chicken being sold was absolutely safe for consumption.

"We have found nothing negative. They are absolutely safe," KMC chief medical officer Debdwaipayan Chatterjee said.

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.

January 18, 2008 :tiphat: http://news.boloji.com/2008/01/16629.htm​

 

[Treyfish]

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

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

Blood samples have not been
Statesman News Service
RAIGANJ, Jan. 18: Despite bird-flu reports pouring in from adjacent South Dinajpur and Malda districts, the North Dinajpur district administration has not thought it necessary to collect blood samples from poultry farm chickens in the district.
It was reported that in the last two days a good number of chickens from South Dinajpur and Malda districts have been supplied to North Dinajur district. But the birds have gone unchecked.
On the other hand, different species of migratory birds turn up at the Kulick bird sanctuary in Raiganj June onwards and start their return flight in January.
The birds have started their return flight, but still a large number of them are at the Kulick sanctuary. But there has been no effort on the part of the district administration to collect necessary samples from the sanctuary.
When asked, the additional district magistrate of North Dinajpur, Mr Jaideb Saha, said: ?The district administration has not been informed of any unusual bird deaths in the district, including the Kulick sanctuary. Collecting samples therefore was not necessary. However, we are keeping a watchful eye at the Bangladesh border from where we fear the disease has spread and the BSF has been asked to stop entry of chickens from Bangladesh.?
He further said that police have been posted at Fatepur, Patirajpur and Banger to stop the entry of chickens either from South Dinajpur and Malda districts.
The wheels of vehicles entering North Dinajpur district from Malda and South Dinajpur districts are being sprayed with chemicals by animal husbandry department staff as a precautionary measure.

http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=10&theme=&usrsess=1&id=186632

 

[Treyfish]

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

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

<TABLE style="DIRECTION: ltr" width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>Bird Flu Continues to Spread in Northeastern India</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top>By VOA News
19 January 2008
</TD><TD vAlign=top align=left></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Indian officials are ordering the slaughter of more poultry, as bird flu spreads in the northeastern state of West Bengal.
State officials say the virus has been detected in at least two new districts. The bird flu outbreak was confirmed earlier this week in and around Morgram village in Birbhum district.
Officials are ordering the immediate destruction of poultry in the newly affected areas, without waiting for laboratory confirmation of the virus. The state has slaughtered more than 36,000 birds out of roughly 400,000.
Government efforts to control the virus are being hampered by farmers who are refusing to give up their chickens and ducks. Some are throwing bird carcasses in nearby wells and ponds, ignorant of the risks associated with bird flu.
Health workers continue to go door-to-door to raise awareness and look for any symptoms of the virus in local residents.
The deadly virus also was found in neighboring Bangladesh this week, where officials are slaughtering chickens.
No human cases of bird flu have been reported in Bangladesh or India.
According to the World Health Organization, bird flu has killed at least 218 people worldwide since 2003, mostly in Asia.:tiphat: http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-01-19-voa15.cfm

 

[Treyfish]

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

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

Dasmunsi proposes joint Centre-state panel on birdflu

New Delhi (PTI): Proposing a joint Centre-state committee to monitor the birdflu scenario in West Bengal, Member of Parliament from the state Priyaranjan Dasmunsi on Friday said all political parties should be united in their drive against the spread of the disease.
The Union Information and Broadcasting Minister also asked the state and Central governments to announce through print and electronic media that poultry owners, especially small and marginal farmers, will be given compensation wherever birdflu is found.
"All political parties should be united along with government agencies to make a combined effort in this drive," he said in a letter to Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya.
"I propose you to make a monitoring cell between Central government and state government without further delay and monitor the day-to-day progress of the work," the letter said.
The District Collector along with the concerned desk shall monitor and mobilise their strength along with NGOs to inform farmers about the alarming situation, he said. "Wonderful work has been done in Maharashtra two years back in this regard. Why not aggressively follow that pattern here in West Bengal also," he asked:tiphat: http://www.hinduonnet.com/holnus/000200801191964.htm

 

[Treyfish]

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

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

Meghalaya plans testing chicken blood samples

Shillong, (PTI): With avian flu spreading to new areas in West Bengal, Meghalaya is contemplating sending blood samples of chickens for testing.
The step was in the direction of taking preventive measures, official sources said.
With reports stating that the virus had come from Bangladesh, BSF authorities have mounted vigil along the Indo-Bangla border to stop smuggling of chicken from that country. "Extra check gates have been set up along the borders with Bangladesha and neighbouring states to check entry of birds," said Meghalaya Chief Secretary, Ranjan Chatterjee. :tiphat: http://www.hinduonnet.com/holnus/0022008011:yinyang: Bird flu: Blood sample collection underway in Pakur

:yinyang: Pakur (Jharkhand), (PTI): Inspection of poultry farms and collection of blood samples of birds have been continuing in Pakur and Jamtara which share their borders with bird flu-hit Birbhum district, according to official sources here.
After sending some samples for testing, the two-member team set up by the animal husbandry department was also monitoring the situation in the Santhal Pargana region which also shares border with West Bengal. The Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Department has started using medicinal sprays in the poultry farms in Ranchi and Bokaro, sources in the department said. :yinyang: <!-- story ends -->
91440.htm:tiphat: http://www.hinduonnet.com/holnus/002200801191240.htm

 

[Treyfish]

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

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

Employees of bird sanctuary alerted for bird flu

Saturday, January 19, 2008 : 1605 HrsBasti (UP) (PTI): As a precautionary measure to check any outbreak of bird flu, the administration here on Saturday alerted the employees of the bird sanctuary in Sant Kabir Nagar district where Siberian birds have started arriving. An urgent meeting was conducted by District Magistrate Saurabh Babu where instructions were issued to officials for daily checking of poultry farms in the district. Employees of the bird sanctuary were alerted to pay attention on Siberian birds. The administration has instructed the officials to check poaching of Siberian birds in Basti and Sant Kabir Nagar. It was viewed that in case of mass death of birds in any area, proper medical test should be conducted, sources said. :tiphat: http://www.hinduonnet.com/holnus/002200801191552.htm

 

[Treyfish]

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

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

Bird flu lands poultry industry in Andhra Pradesh in soup






<HR color=lightblue noShade>Rate of egg has come down from Rs. 1.70 to Re. 1 each
Broiler rate has come down from Rs. 38 to Rs. 32
<HR color=lightblue noShade>

HYDERABAD: The poultry industry in Andhra Pradesh is staring at a major crisis following confirmed outbreak of bird flu in West Bengal. It?s as if the industry is hit by a double whammy of sorts. On one hand, the domestic export of eggs has plummeted to its nadir, while on the other, prices of eggs and even broiler are fast declining.
That?s not all. The cost of feed ingredients like maize and soya have registered 100 per cent increase, threatening to break the back of an industry, which is already under severe stress. With no domestic export, layer poultry farm owners are faced with an unenviable task of storing eggs in their facilities. Shortage of trays to hold these many eggs has become a major challenge for layer farm owners. Already, the signs are ominous. ?Rate of egg have come down from Rs. 1.70 to Re. 1 each and broiler rates from Rs. 38 to Rs. 32. We are pinning our hopes on sales within the State to make up for the losses. Prices could plunge further if this trend continues,? feels president of Poultry Breeders Association D. Ram Reddy.
Andhra Pradesh farmers export as many as 2.5 crore eggs a day to other States, mostly north India, while the total production of eggs is around 5.5 crore per day. The break-even price per egg, including production costs, for a producer roughly is Rs. 1.50 paise per egg while the present going rate is just Re. 1.
The industry would be incurring losses to the tune of Rs. 2.75 crore per day. And this loss is only on poultry eggs. ?It took three to four months for things to stabilise after the Maharashtra bird flu outbreak. If the flu does not spread to other parts from West Bengal, it would take another two to three months for things to stabilise,? felt Mr. Reddy.
Officials of National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC) informed that already the domestic exports of eggs have come to a standstill:tiphat: http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/19/stories/2008011955610600.htm

 

[Treyfish]

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

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

Chickened out
Author: Sanchita Sen Date: 18 Jan 2008 Though doctors insist there?s no reason to panic about bird flu in the city, poultry sales have dropped
<TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=2 width=200 align=right border=1><TBODY><TR><TD>

</TD></TR><TR align=middle><TD>Downfall: Poultry dealers say the bird flu panic has affected their business file pic </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>After news of bird flu in West Bengal spread, Bangaloreans are staying away from chicken much to the dismay of poultry farm owners, leading to a sharp price fall.

?It?s all due to media-hype. Chicken prices have come down from Rs 45 a kg to Rs 32 a kg,? said Shahid, a poultry farm owner. ?I really hope the market recovers soon,? he added.

He said that due to the bird flu threat many states had cancelled bulk orders. It?s not just only poultry farm owners even small-time chicken shop owners have been affected by the slump.

?Prices are fluctuating every day and so is the demand. Earlier, I used to get over 40 customers daily, but now, I get only 15-20 customers,? said Ashraf Ahmed, who runs a chicken shop on Adugodi Road.

Irfan Akhtar, a chicken shop owner in Koramangala, said, ?When the virus has not come anywhere near birds in Karnataka, I fail to understand why people here are panicking.?

Happy menu

However, restaurants haven?t noticed a decline in the demand for chicken dishes.

?I think customers are aware that the virus will be killed if the chicken is cooked at a high temperature,? said Irfan, manager, Tamarind restaurant.

Doctors have told consumers that there is no reason to panic.

Dr Shivram, joint director, communicable diseases, dept of health and family welfare, said, ?Officials have already checked all poultry farms and no fowl has been affected. So, why fear??

?We are constantly monitoring the situation. If we come across any case then we will immediately take action. As of now, there is no threat,? Dr Shivram added.:tiphat: http://www.chalomumbai.com/web/gues...cle?_EXT_5_articleId=914298&_EXT_5_groupId=14

 

[Treyfish]

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

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

Bird flu scare gets bigger</ARTTITLE>
20 Jan 2008, 0001 hrs IST

,

Kounteya Sinha

,

TNNNEW DELHI: The outbreak of the highly infectious H5N1 avian flu virus, is now creeping towards Kolkata. The progress of the virus has been charted by scientists from Bhopal's High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL) who confirmed on Saturday that two more districts of Nadia and Burdwan have been hit by the outbreak.

This takes the number of affected districts to five. The virus was first detected in districts of Birbhum and south Dinajpur almost a week ago. On Friday, the flu was found in Murshidabad.

The home ministry has alerted the Border Security Force (BSF) to keep close watch on the movement of birds from Bangladesh border. Expressing his concern, agriculture minister Sharad Pawar said, "Movement must be stopped within, more importantly from Bangladesh border."

The Centre has pressed the panic button after the virus was found in Nadia and Burdwan. Mainly because both the districts are very close to Kolkata. While Nadia is just 100 kms away, Burdhwan is 128 kms from the state capital.

Experts say the pace at which the virus has moved proves its high virulence.

"The H5N1 strain presently affecting India is highly virulent and aggressive since it has spread so far so quickly and has killed so many birds in just over a week. This is very worrying. Prophecies that the outbreak in Bangladesh, would ultimately hit India hard, are all coming true," an expert told TOI.

"Samples from four blocks of Murshidabad district (Khargram, Burwan, Nowda and Nabagram), one block of Nadia district (Tehatta) and two blocks of Burdwan district (Mongalkote and Purbasthali) have been found positive for avian influenza after tests. The state government has also been notified," animal husbandry officials in Delhi said.

Meanwhile, the fate of Bankura district hangs in balance with samples sent from dead birds found there still being tested at HSADL. Over 52 fresh samples from dead poultry, duck, pigeons and crows from Murshidabad, Purulia, Birbhum and Paschim Midnapur were also sent to the HSADL, Bhopal for testing on Saturday.

Till now, over 96,010 poultry birds have been killed by the virus in Bengal. "Samples from South 24 Parganas, Cooch Behar, Purulia and Hooghly districts have tested negative for the flu," an official said.

Experts said the progress of the virum showed how proximity to an endemic country can be dangerous. "India is sandwiched between countries like China, Bangladesh and Myanmar, all of which have been badly affected by the virus. West Bengal has dense poultry belts, specially the areas adjacent to the Bangladesh border. This made the state most vulnerable," an expert said. :tiphat: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Bird_flu_scare_gets_bigger/rssarticleshow/2714488.cms

<!--google_ad_region_end=article--><SCRIPT type=text/javascript> var RN = new String (Math.random()); var RNS = RN.substring (2,11); var b2 = '<iframe src=""\"http://adstil.indiatimes.com/RealMedia/ads/adstream_sx.ads/www.timesofindia.com/Stories/index.html/1'+RNS+'@Right3?\" WIDTH=255 HEIGHT=250 marginwidth=0 align="left" marginheight=0 hspace=1 vspace=0 frameborder=0 scrolling=no bordercolor=\"#000000\"> </iframe>'; if (doweshowbellyad==1) bellyad.innerHTML = b2; </SCRIPT>

 

[Treyfish]

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 border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD width=845>Bird flu-hits another block, 80,000 chickens culled so far</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD width=845>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD width=479><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD width="22%">Created on :</TD><TD width="78%">01/18/2008 11:00 AM (TOP 3)</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD width="100%" colSpan=2>

</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD width="100%" colSpan=2><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD></TD><TD width=360></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TD width=132>

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Birbhum, Jan 19 (UNI) The dreaded Avian Influenza has hit yet another
block, Mohammed, Bazar of Shiuri sub-division in this district,
official sources said here today.
About 80,000 chickens had been culled in the entire district so
far, the sources said, adding that altogether four lakh chickens
would be disposed of in the bird flu-affected areas.
Meanwhile, West Bengal Animal Husbandry Minister Anisur Rehman
held meetings with the district administration officials and
reviewed culling operations as well as precautionary measures being
taken.
Addressing mediapersons here after the meeting, Mr Rehman said
presently 60 teams, comprising medical personnel and veterinary
doctors, were executing the culling operations adding that the
number of teams would be increased to 300.
Besides, animal husbandry department officials from the adjoining
districts would also be brought to assist in the culling process.:tiphat:

 

[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

Fever rising but no Tamiflu at epicentre

Ravik Bhattacharya

Posted online: Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 2340 hrs IST

Margram, January 19

At Margram, the epicentre of bird flu, hundreds of villagers throng primary health centres everyday for Tamiflu only to be sent back with antibiotics and syrups. Tamiflu is a rare commodity not only in Government health centres but also at private chemists. And with a number of health staff opting out of the door-to-door survey because they have not been paid their allowances, quacks have a field day making a fast buck.

“At present we are giving Tamiflu only to Animal Resources Department staff and health surveyors, who are visiting villages. There is nothing to worry as this disease rarely affects humans. Regarding health surveyors, there was a problem with their allowance but this was due to bureaucratic tangles,” said Sunil Kumar Bhowmik, Chief Medical Officer, Birbhum.

Everyday at Margram primary health centre on an average 120 patients visit the Out Patients Department of whom around 80 to 90 people have fever.

At Bosua Block primary health centre, 220 patients visit the OPD daily and the fever frequency is between 150 to 170. But in neither of the places—the only Government-run health care facilities—Tamiflu is to be found.

The medicine, which costs Rs 852 for a pack of 10, is also missing from the racks of private medicine shops in the affected areas.

At Margram centre, pharmacists hand out antibiotics and syrups and send the patients back home. “What can we do? Many are coming here with high fever. The doctors are busy at the bird flu control room at the BDO office.

We had asked for Tamiflu, but the authorities declined the request. Therefore, we are treating patients for simple fever with common drugs,” said Radharani Das, nurse at the health centre.

Meanwhile, Anisur Rehman, state Animal Resource Department Minister, visited Margram on Saturday and held meeting with department officials, district administration and health officials at Suri.

“Culling operations are not satisfactory and we have decided to increase the present team strength from 60 to 100 on Sunday, covering the entire affected areas. The problem is spreading and we are doing our best,” he told mediapersons after the meeting.

http://www.indianexpress.com/story/263420.html

 

[Treyfish]

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

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

Information for Travelers

On Friday, January 25, 2008, the Consular Section of the United States Consulate, Kolkata, India will be closed. In case of an American citizen emergency, a duty officer can be reached by calling the Consulate switchboard at 033-3984-2400.:tiphat: http://kolkata.usconsulate.gov/warden_messages2.html

 

[Treyfish]

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

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

:tiphat: aurora:tiphat: ON THE TRAIL OF WINGED DEATH
Ravik Bhattacharya
Posted online: Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 1227 hrs

?I almost quit smoking but now I am back at it, smoking packet after packet. I am here to see the situation,? says Abhijit Roychowdhury, block medical health officer (BMHO) of Rampurhat II block.

The stress of dealing with bird flu in Margram is showing. Roychowdhury begins his day at 6.30 in the morning, making rounds of villages, returning home only after 8.30 at night. He then spends the next few hours reading and analysing the daily reports submitted by health workers before sending his comments every night to Swasthya Bhawan in Kolkata, the headquarters of the state Health Department. [snip]

Roychowdhury stands outside his jeep at Rajpara bazaar, surrounded by anxious villagers who have a stream of questions for him.

He is looking at the birds still being sold in the market when a villager Murshed Khan walks up to him to tell him that all his 25 birds have died. ?They started dying in late December. I went to the panchayat office and then to the block office but they said it?s the Ranikhet disease and sent me back home. Now, there are dead birds lying around in the village,? says Murshed, a rickshaw puller.

Roychowdhury urges him not to panic but he can?t hide his own alarm. He asks the health workers accompanying him to make a note of Murshed?s complaint. Then he, along with two workers, makes his way to Malibaganpara, the worst affected in the area.

Today, he is searching for a particular house. Finally, he finds it. The house belongs to Kalu Sheikh, a daily-wage labourer. Roychowdhury begins a round of questions. ?I heard your children are ill?? he says. ?For how many days have they had fever? How many birds in your house are dead??

Kalu?s children?seven-year-old Anarul Sheikh and eight-year-old Tumpa Sheikh?have been running a fever for the past four days. Kalu tells Roychowdhury that they had seven hens. Four died last week and the rest fell ill. The family ate one of the birds a few days ago.

?When my four birds died, the children picked them up and threw them behind the house. The other three were ill, so we thought why not eat one. But why are you asking these questions?? Kalu says.

One of the health workers ventures to tell Kalu that there is a new disease in the area that could be fatal to humans. Roychowdhury interrupts him, asking him not to create panic. Don?t worry, he tells Kalu and his wife, putting his hand on the children?s foreheads. ?Keep a watch on the family,? he tells his staff as he leaves.

As Roychowdhury walks around the village, people come up to him, asking him to look at their ailing hens. The village lanes and fields are lined with dead birds. In one corner children play next to a pile of rotting dead birds. ?We buried some of the birds initially but then there were so many dead that we just started to throw them outside our houses,? says 14-year-old Sheikh Zulfikar. ?See there are two cranes dead near the pond,? he points at some white feathers beside a pile of dead chickens near a pond.

A health worker joins Roychowdhury, asking him how many houses they should cover today. ?A hundred each day. Please try,? replies Roychowdhury.

Soon after he and his team leave the village comes the news: the Union Government has officially declared bird flu in West Bengal. The dreaded H5N1 virus has struck.

Wednesday, January 16, 12 noon
About 50 cars and jeeps are parked outside the makeshift control room at BDO office in Margram. Over 200 men jostle for space, queuing up at tables that are called the ?registration? centre. In one corner of the compound is a temporary stall labelled ?Supplies?. Villagers walk up to it but return empty handed.

Roychowdhury stands at the gate of the BDO office, shouting instructions over the din. Culling was supposed to start at 9 a.m., but got delayed. Workers of the Animal Resources Department (ARD) grumble about the inadequate arrangements for their stay and food.

?One small community hall with four toilets for 200 people. The breakfast is also awful. We have our unions, you know,? says Satyaban Das, a worker who has come from Murshidabad.

?We are working in separate groups here. The ARD staff is going in for culling. Our team is providing them with Tamiflu, the medicine for bird flu infection. You should have one too,? the BMHO tells a young doctor. ?It is dangerous. We are giving them masks, jackets and other things for protection. We are also carrying out health checks of the cullers and you will have to be there.?

The BMHO walks into a small room where six doctors, all in masks, sit waiting. Packets of medicine lie stacked on tables. ?Sir, we cannot control this,? a young doctor complains. ?There are so many people, I heard there are 300 people from the ARD and we are just six. Do we have to check every one of them? It is humanly not possible. I have to visit the primary health centre also.?

Roychowdhury asks him to be calm and do his best. Three health workers enter with a new complaint. They need to go to Budhigram for a survey but have no vehicle. [snip]

Some ARD staff working as cullers walk in, looking for masks and protective gear. Sorry, say the doctors, no luck. Try using handkerchiefs.

Thursday, January 17, 6.15 p.m.
Today Roychowdhury is travelling to Buropith Mollahpara in Margram. On the way, children are playing with birds, carrying them home. At Buropith, four people dressed in special de-contamination suits, goggles, gloves and footwear face an angry mob of 60 villagers. ?We got only a handful of birds here but the villagers are not willing to give them up. What should we do?? asks one of them.

The mob immediately turns towards Roychowdhury and his team. The compensation of Rs 40 per grown chicken and duck is too little, they say angrily. They complain that no awareness camps had been organised in their village and they had no clue about the bird flu outbreak till some officials came and asked them to hand over their poultry.

Nabiyara Khatun, a housewife, is screaming. ?I had 25 birds and four ducks and most of them died 10 days ago. I have just four chickens and two ducks left now. Each chicken will fetch me around Rs 120 to 150. The ducks will fetch me more.?

?These people say that the Government is going to give me only Rs 40 for each big chicken and duck. My husband is a daily labourer and the birds are precious to us. We will cook and eat them, but will not hand them over to the government people,? Khatun shouts.

Montu Sheik, another villager, joins the angry chorus. ?Today, the government people have come and they say that our birds are dangerous. No one came before, when they were dying.? The health officials try to reason with them in vain.

By late evening, only 12 birds have been culled in the village of 300-odd houses.

Some children are helping the cullers. The contrast is stark: the children bare-bodied, the cullers in their full-body protective suits. The birds are killed and put into gunny bags.

Roychowdhury tells his staff to keep the children away from the dead or dying birds, but nobody listens. His people say they need help.

Roychowdhury tries to make them understand and then calls up the district magistrate. But the DM says he is busy: too many complaints are coming in. ARD officials rush to Roychowdhury?s side, only to face the ire of the villagers. The officials fail to cool down tempers.

Tired, Roychowdhury and his team return to the control room, where the BMHO sits down for yet another meeting. [snip]

http://www.indianexpress.com/sunday/story/263293-2.html

 

[Treyfish]

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

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

Bird flu awareness low


By RAJIB CHOWDHURI
Margram (Birbhum), Jan. 19: They do not know bird flu and its deadly impact. But their work for the past three days have been to spray disinfectants on the wheels of every car that comes at Margram gram panchayat?s Block II office either from the affected areas of the district or elsewhere. The 16 health workers of the district administration, divided in eight teams thus have been on duty day in and day out without any protective measures for themselves throughout the block.
"Neither have I any knowledge of bird flu nor I have any past experience of working during an outbreak," Mr Chittaranjan Das, 42, said on Saturday while spraying sodium hypochlorite, a disinfectant solution, on car tyres. He said that his only safety measure is his pair of gloves.
Wearing a blue plastic cap and normal clothes, Mr Das said, "I do not know whether I have been affected or not. My job is to ensure that others are not infected." Jyoti Das, 55, who has been accompanying Chittaranjan since the outbreak, echoed similar views. "This is the first time we are working in such a condition. Earlier, I have worked during the malaria outbreak here. But that was a different experience," Jyoti said. Moreover, they said that the local people like them have many misconceptions of bird flu.
***
Culling vet is found hanging
Balurghat, Jan. 19: A veterinary surgeon was found hanging in his guesthouse room here on Friday night, the police said.
The surgeon, Rajiv Patra, 30, was a culling team member in the bird flu-hit South Dinajpur district. No suicide note was found. (PTI):tiphat:
http://www.asianage.com/presentation/leftnavigation/news/india/bird-flu-awareness-low.aspx

 

[vinny]

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

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

re:treyfishs post at 3.33pm,sounds like a recipe for disaster,those poor people not being helped like they should,if it escalates god help us.

 

[HenryN]

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

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

:tiphat: aurora:tiphat: ON THE TRAIL OF WINGED DEATH
Ravik Bhattacharya
Posted online: Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 1227 hrs



Today, he is searching for a particular house. Finally, he finds it. The house belongs to Kalu Sheikh, a daily-wage labourer. Roychowdhury begins a round of questions. ?I heard your children are ill?? he says. ?For how many days have they had fever? How many birds in your house are dead??

Kalu?s children?seven-year-old Anarul Sheikh and eight-year-old Tumpa Sheikh?have been running a fever for the past four days. Kalu tells Roychowdhury that they had seven hens. Four died last week and the rest fell ill. The family ate one of the birds a few days ago.

?When my four birds died, the children picked them up and threw them behind the house. The other three were ill, so we thought why not eat one. But why are you asking these questions?? Kalu says.

One of the health workers ventures to tell Kalu that there is a new disease in the area that could be fatal to humans. Roychowdhury interrupts him, asking him not to create panic. Don?t worry, he tells Kalu and his wife, putting his hand on the children?s foreheads. ?Keep a watch on the family,? he tells his staff as he leaves.

[snip]

[URL="http://www.indianexpress.com/sunday/story/263293-2.html"]http://www.indianexpress.com/sunday/story/263293-2.html[/URL]

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/01160801/H5N1_Birbhum_Suspect_2.html

 

[Treyfish]

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

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

Teams to check vehicles carrying poultry


Staff Reporter



<TABLE width="100%" bgColor=#d0f0ff border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>Core committee to monitor situation </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>





Krishnagiri: The district administration has banned the entry of vehicles carrying poultry and poultry feed from West Bengal following the bird flu outbreak at Birbhum and South Dinajpur districts. Such vehicles will be denied entry at Zuzuvadi, Andivadi, Kakkanur, Kumlapuram and Kuruvinayanapalli check-posts.
As many as 12 highly trained teams from the Department of Animal Husbandry have been deployed at inter-state border check-posts to check vehicles carrying poultry, Collector Santhosh Babu told The Hindu.
Each team has a surgeon, livestock inspector and veterinary assistant.
They sprayed vehicles with disinfectants. The Department of Animal Husbandry had formed a mobile squad to create awareness among the public. It would visit villages and explain how to feed the birds.
Mr. Babu said that no case of poultry affected by bird flu had been reported in Krishnagiri district so far.
Livestock inspectors and veterinarians were maintaining a tight surveillance on about 334 poultry farms and seven hatcheries in the district.
A core committee comprising officials of the Health and Animal Husbandry departments had been formed to monitor the situation on a daily basis, the Collector added.:tiphat: http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/20/stories/2008012054570300.htm

 

[AlaskaDenise]

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

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

Commentary

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/01190801/H5N1_Nadia_Burdwan.html

Commentary http://www.recombinomics.com/feed.xml

H5N1 Confirmed in Nadia and Burdwan West Bengal

Recombinomics Commentary 14:44
January 19, 2008

The H5N1 virus was found in dead birds in Burdwan and Nadia, taking to five the number of infected districts in West Bengal.

The virus was also spreading to new areas within already infected districts.

The above comments suggest that virtually all reports of excessive bird deaths in West Bengal will be H5N1positive (see satellite map). In Nadia, initial government reports suggested the bird deaths were due to New Castle disease. However, there is a vaccine for New Castle Disease, and the birds were still dying. Initial rapid tests were also negative, but such tests have a high false negative rate. The outbreaks in Nadia were numerous and located along the Bangladesh border, where H5N1 had been confirmed on the Bangladesh side.

Media reports also describe and influx of migratory birds, as well as dead resident birds, which will complicate containment efforts.

Burdwan is adjacent to Calcutta, where an H5N1 alert has been issued and dead poultry has been reported in southwestern suburbs in South 24 Parhanas, which will almost certainly also be H5N1 positive.

Dead crows and hawks have also been reported in Calcutta, which provide additional evidence for widespread infections throughout West Bengal.

.

 

[Treyfish]

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

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

HATTIP SAND http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080119/jsp/bengal/story_8801632.jsp

Siberian visitors on the fringes of flu zone

- Delhi team coming today for bird tests

SANJAY MANDAL AND SOUMI BHATTACHARYA

Jan. 18: Around 400 “potential carriers” of the bird flu virus who come from as far away as Siberia every year continue to crowd a lake in Parulia village.

Parulia Dighi, only 5km from the flu-hit part of Mayureswar block, has traditionally been a haven for the birds who stay from the onset of winter to February.

Their occasional shrill cries amid the splashing around in search of fish broke the silence around the lake today but did not reach the animal husbandry department.

“The birds come here every winter. We love them. But no official has visited the area or told us about the dangers they pose to us,” said Bhagirath Let.

Told about how the virus could travel trough these birds, like the chickens in his backyard, Bhagirath, 55, said he was hearing about such a possibility for the first time.

An apparent lack of co-ordination among forest and animal resource development officials and the Birbhum district administration has put hundreds of villagers and their chickens at risk.

Animal resource officials said they were not aware of any migratory bird habitat here. “Please give us the name of the area and our team will go there,” said a senior official.

Burdwan district forest officer Kalyan Kumar Ghosh, who is also in charge of Birbhum, said he had not received any instruction from the district administration.

“A team from the Centre’s wildlife wing will visit the district tomorrow,” said Ghosh.

A forest official said the migratory birds run the risk of travelling through affected areas and coming in contact with local birds in infected zones. These birds are also swimming in the Parulia lake, leaving their droppings and feathers in the water and the land around, from where the infection may spread.

Three lakes in Bolpur town are also home to about 3,000 Siberian ducks now.

The central team will coll-ect blood samples of the birds in the lakes of Bolpur and Parulia and send them for tests.

“The migratory birds will be culled if the samples test positive,” Ghosh said.

However, district magistrate Tapan Kumar Som said the administration had already decided to kill the birds. “We’ll complete the culling operation in the villages and start the operation in these water bodies,” he said.

Forest minister Ananta Ray was unaware of the developments. “I have not discussed this aspect with my officials.”http://www.recombinomics.com/News/01160801/H5N1_Birbhum_Suspect_2.html

 

[HenryN]

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

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

Burdwan blocks

http://bardhaman.gov.in/blocks/blocks.htm