Bird flu returns to West Bengal

Less than three months after India was declared bird flu free in July this year, poultry samples from Tehatta 1 Block in Nadia District from West Bengal have confirmed positive.

Last month United Nation Food and Agriculture Organisation (UNFAO) had warned that countries where H5N1 is still firmly entrenched — Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia and Vietnam — are likely to face the biggest problems. This time they have warned that a mutant strain of the deadly bird flu virus is spreading in Asia and beyond, with unpredictable risks to human health.

FAO had insisted that India is among the countries that need to take precautions. The last outbreak took place during February-March in Tripura. India was declared free from the disease on July 4.

Following this culling operations have been ordered by the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries under the Union Agriculture Ministry.

“Bird flu has been confirmed in poultry samples collected from two villages of Tehatta I block in Nadia District of West Bengal,” the statement said.

According to Department of Animal Husbandry, samples forwarded to the ERDDL, Kolkata and High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL), Bhopal have tested positive for H5 strain of Avian Influenza.

It has been decided to immediately commence the culling of birds and destruction of eggs and feed material to control further spread of the disease.

It has also been decided that the entire poultry will be culled within a radius of 3 kms of the foci of infection. In addition to the culling strategy, surveillance will be carried out over a further radius up to 10 kilometres.

Apart from this, surveillance is being intensified throughout the State to monitor further spread of the infection. The West Bengal Government has been asked to furnish a daily report on the control and containment operations to the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries in the Ministry of Agriculture.

The Centre has advised a series of strategic actions to be taken immediately in the area by the Animal Husbandry and Public Health Departments.

These include declaration of infected and surveillance areas, ban on movement of poultry and its products in the infected area, closure of poultry and egg markets and shops within a radius of 10 kms from the infected site, ban on movement of farm personnel, restricting access to wild and stray birds, restricting access to the infected premises, destruction of birds, disposal of dead birds and infected materials; clean-up and disinfection followed by sealing of the premises and issue of sanitization certificate, post operations surveillance, imposition of legislative measures etc. along with necessary measures laid down in the Contingency Plan (2005) of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.

As regards compensation for loss of poultry on account of culling and destruction of birds, the rate for payment of compensation has been indicated to the State Governments.

Centre has conveyed the decision to share costs of compensation on a 50:50 basis with the State Governments and has authorized State Governments to utilize funds available with them under the programme of ‘Assistance to States for Control of Animal Disease’ (ASCAD), which is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme. The payment of compensation should be ensured immediately and simultaneously to culling.

International Organisations will be notified by the Central Government at its level.