High level meeting reviews bird flu threat
The Imphal Free Press
IMPHAL, Jul 19: The state chief secretary Jarnail Singh, held an emergency meeting with concerned officials of the state veterinary and health departments today to discuss the measures being taken up to counter any outbreak of avian influenza (bird flu) in the state.
According to official sources, the high level meeting analysed the emerging situation regarding the bird flu threat, and the chief secretary also advised the concerned authorities to remain on the alert.
Fears of an outbreak of bird flu in Manipur has been heightened after the mass deaths of over a hundred fowls at a private poultry farm located in Chingmeirong in the Imphal area in the last week, even as outbreaks of bird flu have been reported in the neighbouring Myanmar as well as in Bangladesh in recent months. The cause of death of the birds at the Chingmeirong farm is yet to be confirmed.
Sources said that in the meeting today, the chief secretary found fault with the health department for its lapses in taking up health care measures in the areas where there is thought to be a possibility of outbreak of bird flu.
The officials of both departments were also advised to intensify the activities of their rapid response teams in carrying out surveillance and taking up preventive measures.
In the meantime, the state veterinary department has issued an internal departmental circular intimating the peronnel of all 80 RRTs which have already been formed to immediately activate measures for surveillance and prevention in their respective areas of responsibility.
In the meantime, AB Negi, joint commissioner in the Union ministry of agriculture, department of animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries, who has been stationed in the state capital for the last few days in the wake of the emergence of reports of mass deaths of poultry in Imphal, left today for Kohima. He is expected to return to Imphal within three days, and is likely to stay here till the results of tests on blood and sera samples collected from the dead birds are released.
In the meantime, personnel of the state veterinary department continued extensive collection of blood and sera samples of domesticated fowls and livestock in the valley areas, extending beyond the 15 km radius limit from the particular farm at Chingmeirong where the bird deaths took place.
The Imphal Free Press
IMPHAL, Jul 19: The state chief secretary Jarnail Singh, held an emergency meeting with concerned officials of the state veterinary and health departments today to discuss the measures being taken up to counter any outbreak of avian influenza (bird flu) in the state.
According to official sources, the high level meeting analysed the emerging situation regarding the bird flu threat, and the chief secretary also advised the concerned authorities to remain on the alert.
Fears of an outbreak of bird flu in Manipur has been heightened after the mass deaths of over a hundred fowls at a private poultry farm located in Chingmeirong in the Imphal area in the last week, even as outbreaks of bird flu have been reported in the neighbouring Myanmar as well as in Bangladesh in recent months. The cause of death of the birds at the Chingmeirong farm is yet to be confirmed.
Sources said that in the meeting today, the chief secretary found fault with the health department for its lapses in taking up health care measures in the areas where there is thought to be a possibility of outbreak of bird flu.
The officials of both departments were also advised to intensify the activities of their rapid response teams in carrying out surveillance and taking up preventive measures.
In the meantime, the state veterinary department has issued an internal departmental circular intimating the peronnel of all 80 RRTs which have already been formed to immediately activate measures for surveillance and prevention in their respective areas of responsibility.
In the meantime, AB Negi, joint commissioner in the Union ministry of agriculture, department of animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries, who has been stationed in the state capital for the last few days in the wake of the emergence of reports of mass deaths of poultry in Imphal, left today for Kohima. He is expected to return to Imphal within three days, and is likely to stay here till the results of tests on blood and sera samples collected from the dead birds are released.
In the meantime, personnel of the state veterinary department continued extensive collection of blood and sera samples of domesticated fowls and livestock in the valley areas, extending beyond the 15 km radius limit from the particular farm at Chingmeirong where the bird deaths took place.