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India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 21+

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Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 21+

Eggs pile up at godowns


R. Ilangovan



<TABLE width="100%" bgColor=#d0f0ff border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>Major importers impose ban on poultry from India fearing bird flu </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>



<HR color=lightblue noShade>All consignments of eggs and meat from Namakkal detained at various ports
NECC slashes price of an egg from Rs. 1.60 to Rs. 1.20
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NAMAKKAL: Facing yet another bout of serious crisis in just three years, the farmers in Namakkal Zone, country?s major poultry producer, are very much apprehensive about eggs piling up at their farms? backyards.
Major importers such as Dubai, Kuwait and Oman have immediately re-imposed the ban on poultry from India after the outbreak of avian influenza in West Bengal.
Sanitation


And a highly sanitised Namakkal Zone, situated some 1,000 km away from the epicentre of the present outbreak in West Bengal, is the major sufferer despite having healthy and robust birds, which show no symptoms of any viral attack till date.
Almost all the consignments of eggs and meat that left Namakkal Poultry Zone, a week back, are being detained at various ports and destinations following the ban.
Not our fault


For no fault of ours, we suffer, says a poultry owner in Namakkal. Nearly 4 crore eggs are piling up at the godowns of 750 farms in the zone, which produces an average 2.5 crore egg units a day. Of which 70 lakh eggs go to Kerala every day.
The export, as eggs and powder, accounts for about 55 lakh units a day. Local market consumes the rest.
Its poor shelf-life of 40 days worries the farmers most. Unless the containers at various ports are lifted on time, we will incur heavy losses, says a leading exporter.
A conservative estimate is that the export from Namakkal has slumped by 25 per cent in three days.
Meat consumption


The meat in-take has recorded a 20 per cent fall. The big players, however, are expected to wither the blues while the small and medium farmers face a bleak future.
During the outbreak three years ago too, several countries had banned poultry from India.
The poultry industry revived the orders after the World Health Organisation declared India free of bird flu.
The Namakkal zone of the National Egg Co-ordination Committee (NECC), which is the body to fix the egg price, has slashed it from Rs. 1.60 to Rs. 1.20 a unit to stem over the crisis.:tiphat: http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/22/stories/2008012254180500.htm


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Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 21+

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=articleAd width=305>Tuesday,22 January 2008 5:10 hrs IST <!-- Added on 5/3/2007 starts --></TD><TD width=54></TD><TD width=61></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!--
--><!-- Added on 5/3/2007 ends --></TD></TR><TR><TD class=articleContentE vAlign=top><SCRIPT>document.title +=" - Govt considers financial aid for birdflu-hit farmers"; </SCRIPT><!-- // New Layout -->Govt considers financial aid for birdflu-hit farmers<!--3378383527-->

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=390>Kolkata: Birdflu has dealt a massive blow to production and revenue of the West Bengal poultry industry compelling the state government to think of financial aid for farmers belonging to BPL and self-help groups (SHGs).

"It is a tremendous setback to the poultry industry and it will take years to make up the loss," the state's Animal Resources Development minister Anisur Rahaman said over phone from Nadia district.

The loss might be enormous taking into consideration -- distribution, sale, marketing and consumption, he said: "This includes birds dying from bird flu as well as culling." Describing the outbreak as 'unprecedented', Rahaman said the poultry industry, would face a hard time "if the situation continues for some more days". The minister said his department has been asked to ascertain the extent of loss and prepare a plan of action to meet the situation.

Since poultry farming would not be allowed for three months in the affected districts, the state government would like to extend financial aid to BPL poultry farmers and SHGs with the situation turning normal, he said.

"We have not yet worked out the extent of loss as yet to farmers in the unorganised sector as we are busy tackling the birdflu outbreak," the minister said. "We plan to distribute chicks to these farmers when the state is free of the H5N1 virus," he added. :tiphat:


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Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 21+

Human samples test negative for bird flu</ARTTITLE>
23 Jan 2008, 0009 hrs IST
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<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">
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</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: The Centre on Tuesday heaved a sigh of relief after blood samples and throat swabs taken from five residents of Murshidabad, suspected with symptoms of bird flu, tested negative.

Dr Shiv Lal, director of the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (Delhi), one of the three labs which tested the five samples, told TOI: "We received five samples from National Institute of Cholera and Enetric Diseases (NICED), Kolkata, all of which have tested negative. Even tests carried out at NICED met the same results. National Institute of Virology in Pune is yet to complete the tests as the samples reached them only on Monday night."

He added: "Earlier on Sunday, three other human samples sent to NICD from Sou-th Dinajpur tested negative."

This is India's fourth outbreak of avian influenza in birds. Not a single human case of avian influenza has been reported so far.

The Union health ministry has meanwhile asked the state to carry out random sampling of humans for the H5N1 virus. The ministry also dispatched fresh stocks of one lakh capsules of Tamiflu to Bengal on Monday along with 2,500 masks and protective gear. Fifty additional bottles of Tamiflu syrup were also sent on Tuesday morning.

Meanwhile, culling has been intensified in Bengal. The 258 rapid response teams culled a 2.42 lakh poultry, destroyed 88,252 eggs and about 3,000 kg of feed material. Over 80,000 poultry was culled in South Dinajpur in just three days.

Mopping operations have also been completed while disinfection will be resumed on Wednesday. Till Tuesday, Rs 18 lakh compensation had already been disbursed.

Expert teams plan to cull an additional 20 lakh chickens in the next week. The virus has killed over 1.13 lakh poultry birds in West Bengal till now. The Centre is sending in teams from eight other states, including Haryana, Assam, Maharashtra, Orissa and Jharkhand, to try and contain its spread.

An official said: "Veterinary workers from other states are being roped in and the target for culling has been upped to 21 lakh birds in the next seven days." HSADL, Bhopal, on Tuesday confirmed positive results for avian influenza on samples sent from Krishnanagar-I and Haringhata blocks of Nadia district, Ktugram, Jamuria and Galsi blocks of Burdwan district and Nalhati-I and Bolpur-Sriniketan blocks of Birbhum district.

On the other hand, several samples sent from Howrah, South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, Hooghly, Kolkata and West Midnapur tested negative.

In Birbhum district, two trucks carrying chickens bound for Jharkhand were detained on Tuesday at Nalhati as the government has banned movement of poultry from bird flu-affected districts. :tiphat:

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...negative_for_bird_flu/articleshow/2722471.cms
 
Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 21+

christian said:
Confirmed outbreaks:
Birbhum, South Dinajpur, Murshidabad, Nadia, Burdwan, Malda, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howra and Bankura


west bengal distr.gif

Unconfirmed outbreaks:
Darjeeling, Cooch Behar, Purulia, Hooghly, Midnapur, Kolkata/Calcutta Metropolis

credits Christian
 
Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 21+

Committee to monitor bird flu


Staff Reporter







KOCHI: The district administration has constituted a committee to monitor the prevalence of bird flu, if any, in the wake of reports of the disease from some parts of West Bengal.
District Collector A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish on Tuesday constituted a committee comprising the District Medical Officer, Animal Husbandry Officer and Tourism Joint Director to inspect poultry farms and other vulnerable areas. The DMO has been asked to ensure that workers in the farms are not affected.
Mr. Hanish said that in case of mass death of birds anywhere, it must be reported to the nearest Animal Husbandry Office.
It must be ensured that the waste generated from poultry farms was disposed of hygienically. The farms must be frequently disinfected. He directed the officials concerned to keep a watch on places where migratory birds resided.
People were warned of their vulnerability to water-borne diseases such as jaundice, malaria and typhoid. Steps must also be taken to destroy mosquitoes and their breeding grounds. :tiphat: http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/23/stories/2008012358960300.htm
 
Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 21+

<center>
Commentary H5N1 Encroaches on Calcutta
Recombinomics Commentary 16:56
January 22, 2008
With contiguous districts - Howrah, North and South 24-Parganas - reporting virus sightings in backyard poultry farms, entry of the deadly H5N1 virus into Kolkata now appears imminent.

As many as 41 home-grown chickens were found dead in Howrah's Nalpur village on Tuesday, sending state health officials into a tizzy.

Animal resource department (ARD) officials who went to the village to collect samples, spotted the birds with saliva dripping and liquid oozing out of their eyes - telltale signs of bird flu.

The toll is likely to go up in coming days with similar reports pouring in from Domjur and Uluberia in Howrah and Haroa in North 24-Parganas, they said.

The above comments suggest H5N1 will be confirmed in Calcutta shortly. Nalpur village is in Sankrail, just across the Hooghly River from Calcutta (see satellite map) and is one of many suburban locations with excessive bird deaths. Calcutta has issued an alert.

In addition to poultry deaths, there have also been reports on dead domestic birds, including crows and owls, as well as dead teals.

The involvement of H5N1 in human cases is still unclear. Media reports of cullers in isolation with pneumonia were denied, but a fatal case (8F) in Nadia appears to be far from resolved, although exhumation of the body is also not clear.

The lack of confirmation of H5N1 in districts adjacent to Calcutta appears to be largely linked to the number of samples tested, which at this time seems to be quite low.

Additional testing of birds representing excessive deaths would be useful.

:tiphat: http://www.recombinomics.com/News/01220809/H5N1_Calcutta_Encroachment.html
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Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 21+

Bird flu knocks on city</ARTTITLE>
23 Jan 2008, 0257 hrs IST
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KOLKATA: The Centre is rushing veterinary doctors from seven states to West Bengal to tackle the country's "worst" bird flu outbreak, even as the deadly H5N1 virus threatens to hit Kolkata.

Reports of suspected avian flu outbreaks poured in from the districts on Tuesday, most alarmingly from the districts surrounding Kolkata - Howrah (in Nalpur), North 24-Parganas (in Haroa) and South 24-Parganas, where 15,000-20,000 country chickens died in the last few days. Bird deaths have been reported from Kusumpur and Haripur in East Midnapore too.

However, there was some welcome news, too: Blood samples and throat swabs taken from five suspected Murshidabad flu victims have tested negative, said Shiv Lal, National Institute of Communicable Diseases (Delhi) director.

The Centre has urged the state to speed up culling, Union animal resource secretary Pradeep Kumar said in Kolkata on Tuesday.

Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who called up the Prime Minister on Monday, is in regular touch with Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar. "No state is fully equipped to tackle such a situation. We had never faced anything like this," the CM said on Tuesday. Both he and health minister Surjya Kanta Mishra denied any human infection of the H5N1 virus.

Though the CM described the situation as "mostly under control", health officials pressed the panic button when bird deaths were reported from Howrah's Nal-pur village, just 60 km from here. Animal resource department (ARD) officials who had gone on a routine check on Tuesday saw the dead chickens with saliva and fluids oozing out of their eyes and beaks - tell-tale signs of bird flu.

Similar reports are pouring in from other areas of Howrah such as Domjur, Uluberia and Haroa. Seven districts are already in the grip of the disease, Mishra said.

Sensing the magnitude of the outbreak, the Centre is sending 150 veterinarians from Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Orissa, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Haryana and Punjab. The state is fielding more 'rapid reaction teams' for culling ? from 290 on Monday to over 500 on Tuesday.

In Malda, culling can start only on Thursday, more than four days after the outbreak was confirmed. And in worst-hit Birbhum, the impact area is spreading so fast that culling teams have been slashed from five to three. :confused: giving up?

The confusion on the ground can be gauged from the fact that the Centre and the state can't even agree on the culling figures. While the Union animal resource secretary said 250,000 birds had been culled, state animal resources minister Anisur Rahman claimed it was 450,000. Kumar feels it will take six more days to meet the 2 million target. But state home secretary Prasad Ranjan Ray felt it could stretch till the month-end.:tiphat: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Bird_flu_knocks_on_city/rssarticleshow/2722754.cms

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Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 21+

from previous post:
And in worst-hit Birbhum, the impact area is spreading so fast that culling teams have been slashed from five to three. giving up?

Maybe they mean they've cut the number of cullers per team from 5 to 3 so that they have more teams to cover.

Just a guess.
 
Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 21+

India builds new labs to fight bird flu spread

http://africa.reuters.com/commodities/news/usnSP201673.html

Wed 23 Jan 2008, 4:39 GMT
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By Krittivas Mukherjee
MUMBAI, Jan 23 (Reuters) - India, fighting a bird flu outbreak in poultry that threatens to get out of control, will build several new laboratories in a bid to combat delays in testing the virus and spur faster public health reponses.
As avian influenza sweeps the country's most densely populated state of West Bengal, India's only laboratory specialising in testing bird flu is dealing with many times the number of samples it can handle.
Hundreds of samples of dead birds are being sent every week to the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory in the central city of Bhopal to test for what the World Health Organisation says is the worst outbreak of bird flu in India.
"It has been decided to build several new laboratories especially in view of the bird flu situation now," Santanu Kumar Bandyopadhyay, India's animal husbandry commissioner told Reuters late on Tuesday. "Things are moving quickly."
While the laboratory clears the backlog, veterinary workers at potentially infected areas wait for the signal to begin culling poultry, often running the risk of the virus spreading.
Officials say new laboratories and research facilities are imperative in view of the rapid spread of the avian flu in the eastern state of West Bengal. To begin with, at least six laboratories are being built which will be of biosafety level-3 (BSL-3), or clinical and diagnostic facilities that work with potentially lethal agents.
The new laboratories will supplement the efforts of the Bhopal laboratory.
"These centres will come up at existing regional diseases diagnostic laboratories," Bandyopadhyay said.
"They will be capable of handling emergencies arising out of the avian influenza virus."
India's latest bird flu outbreak in poultry has killed thousands of birds in West Bengal where a massive operation is on to cull hundreds of thousands of fowl.
Bird flu has spread to seven of West Bengal's 19 districts and bird deaths are being reported from new areas every day.
At least 24 million people live in the affected districts, two of which have been confirmed to be infected with the deadly H5N1 strain.
India has never reported any human infection, but experts fear uninformed villagers, some of whom are still eating poultry in infected zones, could contract bird flu. They say the H5N1 strain of bird flu could mutate into a form easily transmitted from human to human, leading to a pandemic. (Editing by Alistair Scrutton and Katie Nguyen)

? Reuters 2008. All Rights Reserved. |
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Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 21+

First Published: 12:32 IST(23/1/2008)
Last Updated: 13:47 IST(23/1/2008)

Deadly bird flu spreads to two more Bengal districts


West Bengal's unchecked bird flu epidemic spread to two more districts on Wednesday, one right on the outskirts of Kolkata and the other on the Assam border. Well over two million poultry in nine districts are now affected and will have to be culled.
West Bengal Animal Resource Development Minister Anisur Rahman confirmed to IANS on Wednesday that the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus had been found among poultry in Hooghly district, barely 30 kms from the metropolis here.
The same virus had been found in Dinhata area of Cooch Behar district on the Assam border, Rahman added.
Facing all-round criticism for the tardy pace of the culling operation that has seen the spread of the epidemic even eight days after it was announced, the state government on Wednesday said it was making spot payments to mitigate the losses of the affected rural families immediately.
"We have already disbursed Rs 45 million as compensation. We will disburse more money as and when required. The payments are being made on the spot itself or through the panchayats," West Bengal Animal Resource Development Minister Anisur Rahman told IANS on Wednesday.
Earlier, farmers were being given tokens at culling sites and asked to contact their panchayat or village block offices for compensation money. The payment is Rs 40 for a country chicken, Rs 30 for a broiler and Rs 10 for a chick.
Even before the spread of the epidemic to the eighth and ninth districts, the cull target had gone to a whopping 2.1 million.
On Tuesday, the centre's Animal Husbandry Secretary Pradeep Kumar said here that around 256,000 birds had been slaughtered and about 150 experts from other states would join the operation.
"Our concern is to find out how the disease spread from the initial outbreak in Birbhum and South Dinajpur districts," Kumar said.
The operation will be ramped up with induction of personnel from Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Orissa, Punjab and Maharashtra, officials said.
A team comprising officials from the union animal husbandry department and their counterparts from the states will monitor the possible spread of bird flu to Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and the Northeast, Kumar said.
The centre has provided the state with 5,000 sets of protective gear for the culling teams.
"More protective gear will be sent. Bird flu is a national problem," Kumar 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. All human samples tested for infection have proved negative so far.
The nine districts now in the grip of the bird flu epidemic are Birbhum, South Dinajpur, Murshidabad, Nadia, Burdwan, Bankura, Malda, Hooghly and Cooch Behar.
Several states have banned the import of chicken from West Bengal. The central government has asked the state to seal its borders with Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan.



http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print.aspx?Id=d5814bd9-de44-45a5-8fcc-74b724ef7298
 
Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 21+

http://www.indianexpress.com/printerFriendly/264675.html

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=780 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top colSpan=2>Almost half of Bengal now bird flu affected

Agencies
Posted online: Wednesday, January 23, 2008 at 1342 hrs IST
Kolkata, January 23:
Cooch Behar and Hoogly were on Wednesday declared bird flu hit, taking the number of affected districts in the state to nine even as authorities set a target of culling three lakh chicken daily.

Samples of chicken sent from Cooch Behar and Hooghly districts to the Highrisk Security Disease Laboratory (HSDL) in Bhopal yesterday tested positive," Animal Resources Development Minister Anisur Rahaman said.

"We have been informed by the Centre. Steps will be taken accordingly," he said.

"Steps are being taken to officially notify both Cooch Behar and Hooghly districts bird flu affected, for the next course of action including culling," Rahaman said.

The samples which tested positive were from Dinhata in Cooch Behar district and Balagarh in Hooghly district, he said.

There was, however, no case of humans beings being affected, the minister said.

The target of culling which was set at 20 lakh was also likely to increase, he said.

The daily target now was three lakh with 600 teams on the job from today, he said.

About 150 technical teams from eight states, including Haryana, Assam, Maharashtra, Orissa and Jharkhand would soon join to monitor the culling.

West Bengal's border with neighbouring states has already been sealed, the minister said.

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Re: India3Bird flu spreads to 2 more Bengal districts

Re: India3Bird flu spreads to 2 more Bengal districts

Warden Message

U.S. Consulate General
Kolkata, India
January 22, 2008

TOWN HALL MEETING ON AVIAN INFLUENZA FOR AMERICAN CITIZENS

The United States Mission is monitoring carefully the outbreak of H5N1 Avian Influenza in Eastern India. The Government of India has confirmed that the outbreak is spreading to other districts of the state of West Bengal, and unconfirmed reports have been received from districts near Kolkata. U.S. citizens should monitor local media for developments and the latest information on affected areas so that they can avoid travel to the areas with concentrations of the disease. It is also very important that U.S. citizens follow the advice of local government health officials who are responding to the outbreak.
All U.S. citizens are encouraged to practice good hygiene, such as washing hands, scrupulously cleaning food preparation areas, and fully cooking food. In addition, U.S. citizens are advised to avoid close contact with any fowl, such as chickens and ducks, to stay clear of any sick birds, and to not visit "wet" markets where poultry are slaughtered.
The U.S. Consulate General in Kolkata will host a "town hall" meeting on Friday, January 25, 2008, at 2:30 PM for all U.S. citizens to answer questions regarding Avian Influenza. The meeting will take place in the Lincoln Room at the American Center, located at 38-A, Jawaharlal Nehru Road, Kolkata 700 071.
While it is possible that humans will eventually contract this deadly disease, U.S. citizens in India are reminded that Avian Influenza is primarily a disease of birds. People who have contracted Avian Influenza have generally had close and prolonged contact with infected birds (usually chickens or ducks), their feces, or their blood. Human-to-human transmission has been exceptional, and has been the result of sustained, close contact with the infected individual.
All U.S. citizens should consider their medium-term plans in the unlikely event that Avian Influenza ever becomes a virulent human disease, or pandemic flu.;) Pandemic planning information is available at www.pandemicflu.gov.
For further information on avian influenza, the U.S. Consulate suggests that you consult the U.S. Department of State's Avian Influenza Fact Sheet at http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/health/health_1181.htm, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) web site at http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/index.htm. World Health Organization (WHO) guidance related to Avian Influenza is available at http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/en/.
Americans living or traveling in India are encouraged to register with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate through the State Department's travel registration web site, https://travelregistration.state.gov/, and to obtain updated information on travel and security within India. Americans without Internet access may register directly with the U.S. Embassy or the nearest Consulate. By registering, American citizens make it easier for the Embassy or Consulate to contact them in case of emergency.
The U.S. Consulate in Kolkata is located at 5/1 Ho Chi Minh Sarani, Kolkata, India 700071 and can be reached by telephone at +91-33-3984-2400, by fax at +91-33-2282-2335 or via e-mail at consularkolkata@state.gov. The Consulate?s Internet home page is located at http://kolkata.usconsulate.gov. For the latest security information, Americans living traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department's Internet web site at http://travel.state.gov where the current Worldwide Caution Announcements, Travel Warnings, and Public Announcements can be found. Up to date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the United States, or, for callers outside the United States and Canada, a regular toll line at 202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).:tiphat:

http://kolkata.usconsulate.gov/wm012208.html
 
Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 21+

W Bengal bird flu 'is spreading'
<TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD width=5></TD><TD class=fact><!--So--><!--Eo--><!--So-->
<!--Eo--><!--Smiiib--></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Officials in the Indian state of West Bengal say that the bird flu epidemic has spread to two more of the state's 19 districts, taking the total to nine.
They say that the spread of the H5N1 virus means that even more chicken and duck will have to be killed than was originally estimated.
On Monday officials said that around 2m birds would need to be culled - a figure that will now rise. Health experts have warned that the outbreak could get out of control.


The H5N1 strain of bird flu is regarded as highly pathogenic and can also cause disease and death in humans.
However, most human victims have contracted the disease through close contact with affected birds.
There is little evidence that the virus can be transmitted easily between humans.
'Very serious'
West Bengal's Minister for animal research and development, Anisur Rehman, told the BBC there are currently 650 culling teams in the state.


They have now been ordered to extend their chicken and duck killing operation from seven to nine districts.
He said that one of the districts most recently affected, Hoogly, is close to Calcutta and contains the state's largest chicken hatchery - which has not yet been affected.
Mr Rehman said that another district recently hit by the virus, Cochbihar, is close to the border with Bangladesh.
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.
Experts in Bangladesh have warned that the outbreak of the virus is far worse than the government is reporting.
"Bird flu is now everywhere. Every day we have reports of birds dying in farms," leading Bangladeshi poultry expert MM Khan told the AFP news agency.
"Things are now very serious and public health is [in] danger," he said, alleging that farmers were reluctant to report new cases.
Logistical challenge
The BBC's Amitabha Bhattasali in Calcutta says the authorities in West Bengal face the same problems, with reports of people hiding chicken and duck to stop them from being killed.



Our correspondent say the authorities face a major logistical challenge, because many of the chickens in infected areas roam around in the open and in many cases have to be chased and caught before they can be killed.
On Monday a team of officials from Delhi told the state government that the pace of the culling operation is too slow.
At the same time, the state government warned that the virus was getting "out of hand".
It has appealed to eight other Indian states - including Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu - for assistance in the culling operation.
So far only about 300,000 birds have been disposed of.
Correspondents say that the problem is made worse because many poor and illiterate farmers are sometimes misinformed about basic hygiene.
Dead birds are reported to have been dumped in village wells and ponds by people not aware of the risks from the H5N1 virus.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/south_asia/7204322.stm
 
Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 21+

India's Avian Flu Outbreak Is `Serious,' WHO Says (Update1)

By Jay Shankar
<!-- WARNING: #foreach: $wnstory.ATTS: null at /bb/data/web/templates/webmacro_en/20601091.wm:313.2 --><!-- WARNING: #foreach: $wnstory.ATTS: null at /bb/data/web/templates/webmacro_en/20601091.wm:327.19 -->Jan. 23 (Bloomberg) -- An outbreak of avian flu in India's West Bengal state is ``serious'' and the virus has spread rapidly to many districts, the World Health Organization's representative said.
The outbreak is the 10th in India since the H5N1 avian influenza virus was first reported to have killed poultry there in February 2006. No human cases have been recorded in India.
India has the capacity to handle the situation as the ``fundamentals of planning are sound,'' S.J. Habayeb, the organization's representative in the South Asian nation, said in an interview conducted over e-mail.
The disease has spread to more districts in West Bengal, taking the total number to nine, Farm Minister Sharad Pawar said in New Delhi today. ``We are trying to control the situation.''
The government has culled 242,000 chickens since the disease was reported among poultry Jan. 15 in the eastern state, the agriculture ministry has said.
As many as 113,796 chickens have died from the virus, the ministry said in a release. Samples from six districts have tested negative. About 258 teams have been deployed for culling and surveillance operations in West Bengal, the ministry added.
`Backyard Culling'
``The main problem we are facing is culling in the backyards,'' Anisur Rahman, West Bengal's animal resources minister, said in a telephone interview from the state capital of Kolkata, also known as Calcutta. ``In other places, where the disease was reported, the farmers carried their poultry to a central farm in a village. Here, volunteers have to go to each house and convince farmers to do the culling.''
The teams, working in the villages, have gone up from 400 to 650 today, Rahman said.
``Culling is going on at a rapid pace,'' he said. ``At the same time, we are faced with a situation where poultry is being tested positive from new areas which are far-flung.''
The virus is known to have infected 351 people in 14 countries since late 2003, killing 219 of them, the Geneva-based World Health Organization said on its Web site two days ago. Indonesia has the highest number of fatalities, with 97 deaths.
Millions could die if the H5N1 virus develops the characteristics of seasonal flu and begins spreading easily between humans through coughing and sneezing.
Early signs of the disease range from fever and coughing to diarrhea and vomiting, researchers said in a Jan. 17 report in the New England Journal of Medicine.
To contact the reporter on this story: Jay Shankar in Bangalore at jshankar1@bloomberg.net .

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601091&sid=aK8G66AtRVmU&refer=india
Last Updated: January 23, 2008 05:08 EST
 
Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 21+

Culling in Bihar, a neighbouring state of West Bengal

- snip -

Meanwhile, the Bihar Government has ordered culling of chicken in six panchayat areas of Katihar district adjacent to bird flu-affected Malda district of West Bengal.


The Bihar government has already banned import of poultry from the neighbouring state. "We have put a blanket ban on import of birds from West Bengal in the wake of reports of the dreaded H5N1 virus spreading there," Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, who is also holding the portfolio of Animal and Fishery Resources, said.

http://www.ibnlive.com/news/bird-flu-spreads-to-half-of-bengal-bihar-begins-culling/57222-3.html
 
Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 21+

Half of Bengal now affected by bird flu
Author: PTI Date: 23 Jan 2008
Kolkata: Cooch Behar and Hoogly were today declared bird flu hit, taking the number of affected districts in the state to nine, even as authorities set a target of culling three lakh chicken daily.

"Samples of chicken sent from Cooch Behar and Hooghly districts to the Highrisk Security Disease Laboratory (HSDL) in Bhopal yesterday tested positive," Animal Resources Development Minister Anisur Rahaman told PTI today.

"We have been informed by the Centre. Steps will be taken accordingly," he said.

?Steps are being taken to officially notify both Cooch Behar and Hooghly districts as bird flu affected, for the next course of action including culling," Rahaman said.

The samples which tested positive were from Dinhata in Cooch Behar district and Balagarh in Hooghly district, he said.
There was, however, no case of human beings being affected, the minister said.

The target of culling which was set at 20 lakh was also likely to increase, he said. The daily target now was three lakh with 600 teams on the job from today, he said.

About 150 technical teams from eight states, including Haryana, Assam, Maharashtra, Orissa and Jharkhand would soon join to monitor the culling. West Bengal's border with neighbouring states has already been sealed, the minister said.

In the already affected districts, the H5N1 virus was reported from more blocks in Nadia and Murshidabad districts.
Nadia District Magistrate Omkar Meena said the virus spread to Haringhata and Nakhashipara blocks. An action plan was being prepared for these two areas. Culling was on in the other affected areas.

In Murshidabad district, the disease spread to Galsir-1 block, district officials said. Eight other blocks have already been affected.

In Malda, declared affected yesterday, culling could not start today because of shortage of staff, Deputy Director of Animal Resource Development department, N K **** said.

In Burdwan district, due to a dispute between the administrations of Kalna and Katwa, no action has been taken so far to control the disease in eight villages under Purbastahli block. Burdwan District Magistrate Subir Chatterjee had to intervene and ask the Katwa administration to begin culling from today.

Meanwhile, about 700 chickens died in Bardhaman town last night. While a Central team arrived in Birbhum district this morning, death of chickens was reported from Howrah district, which is unaffected so far. The district borders Kolkata.

In Cooch Behar district, the district's animal resources department sources said deaths of chicken were reported at Khalisamari of Mathabhanga-I block. ARD sources in the district said that bird deaths were reported from four blocks out of 12. These were Dinhata-I, Cooch Behar-I, Mathabhanga-I and Mekhliganj. In Haribhanga of Cooch Behar-I, carcasses of 10 migratory birds were found yesterday. The samples were sent to Kolkata.

http://www.mid-day.com/web/guest/news/national/article?_EXT_5_articleId=931080&_EXT_5_groupId=14
 
Re: India - Bird Flu in Poultry/Animals Jan 21+

Half of Bengal now affected by bird flu
Author: PTI Date: 23 Jan 2008
Kolkata: Cooch Behar and Hoogly were today declared bird flu hit, taking the number of affected districts in the state to nine, even as authorities set a target of culling three lakh chicken daily.

"Samples of chicken sent from Cooch Behar and Hooghly districts to the Highrisk Security Disease Laboratory (HSDL) in Bhopal yesterday tested positive," Animal Resources Development Minister Anisur Rahaman told PTI today.

"We have been informed by the Centre. Steps will be taken accordingly," he said.

?Steps are being taken to officially notify both Cooch Behar and Hooghly districts as bird flu affected, for the next course of action including culling," Rahaman said.

The samples which tested positive were from Dinhata in Cooch Behar district and Balagarh in Hooghly district, he said.
There was, however, no case of human beings being affected, the minister said.

The target of culling which was set at 20 lakh was also likely to increase, he said. The daily target now was three lakh with 600 teams on the job from today, he said.

About 150 technical teams from eight states, including Haryana, Assam, Maharashtra, Orissa and Jharkhand would soon join to monitor the culling. West Bengal's border with neighbouring states has already been sealed, the minister said.

In the already affected districts, the H5N1 virus was reported from more blocks in Nadia and Murshidabad districts.
Nadia District Magistrate Omkar Meena said the virus spread to Haringhata and Nakhashipara blocks. An action plan was being prepared for these two areas. Culling was on in the other affected areas.

In Murshidabad district, the disease spread to Galsir-1 block, district officials said. Eight other blocks have already been affected.

In Malda, declared affected yesterday, culling could not start today because of shortage of staff, Deputy Director of Animal Resource Development department, N K **** said.

In Burdwan district, due to a dispute between the administrations of Kalna and Katwa, no action has been taken so far to control the disease in eight villages under Purbastahli block. Burdwan District Magistrate Subir Chatterjee had to intervene and ask the Katwa administration to begin culling from today.

Meanwhile, about 700 chickens died in Bardhaman town last night. While a Central team arrived in Birbhum district this morning, death of chickens was reported from Howrah district, which is unaffected so far. The district borders Kolkata.

In Cooch Behar district, the district's animal resources department sources said deaths of chicken were reported at Khalisamari of Mathabhanga-I block. ARD sources in the district said that bird deaths were reported from four blocks out of 12. These were Dinhata-I, Cooch Behar-I, Mathabhanga-I and Mekhliganj. In Haribhanga of Cooch Behar-I, carcasses of 10 migratory birds were found yesterday. The samples were sent to Kolkata.

http://www.mid-day.com/web/guest/news/national/article?_EXT_5_articleId=931080&_EXT_5_groupId=14
Updated map

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=U...=24.686952,88.242188&spn=4.471137,7.69043&z=7
 
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