Statesman News Service
NEW DELHI, Jan. 17: As the Bird flu menace in West Bengal today spread to its new areas, the World Health Organisation (WHO) issued a grim warning holding that this outbreak is far more serious than two previous outbreaks witnessed in the country since 2006.
Amid reports of more birds dropping dead in some new districts besides the already bird flu-hit districts of Birbhum and South Dinajpur in West Bengal, the WHO released a statement, saying “More serious risk factors are associated with this current outbreak than previously encountered, including that the affected areas are more widespread and because of proximity to extended border areas.”
In the face of spreading avian influenza (bird flu) virus, the Union agriculture minister, Mr Sharad Pawar, today said that the Centre has sounded an alert not only in West Bengal but across the country.
“We have taken strong measures to counter the bird flu threat from the Bangladesh border. We have passed on all information to the West Bengal government and sounded a countrywide alert. International guidelines are being followed in the culling operations in West Bengal,” Mr Pawar said.
The Centre has asked the state government to take stringent measures even at block and village level to curb bird flu in the country. “We have asked the West Bengal government to take corrective action in every city and village,” Mr Pawar said. Mr Pawar, who earlier said that there had not been reports of any human infection due to avian influenza, claimed the disease has not affected India’s domestic and overseas poultry market much. “There is no major impact on the market.”
Reeling under the fresh avian influenza attack after declaring India bird flu-free in November 2007, the Centre had yesterday blamed the Bengal government for its delayed response in tackling the crisis. Both the Union animal husbandry secretary, Mr Pradeep Kumar, and the Union health secretary, Mr Naresh Dayal, held that there was delay from the Bengal government in informing about the large-scale poultry deaths in Birbhum and South Dinajpur districts where the bird flu outbreak was first detected.
“We received the first communication of poultry deaths from the state government on 11 January. They had written that mortality has been reported from January four,” Mr Kumar said yesterday.
According to the action plan sent to all the state governments long ago, any abnormal deaths in poultry were to be reported and samples sent within 24 hours, he said. On whether early detection would have helped in containing the outbreak faster, Mr Kumar said, “timing is of essence”.
He pointed out that surveillance had not been to the “desired extent” as India had declared itself free from bird flu in November 2007.
Timely action might thus not have been taken to limit the dreaded bird flu outbreak which is now suspected to have spread to Murshidabad and other districts of Bengal. The ongoing culling of poultry in Birbhum and South Dinajpur, targeted at around 4 lakh birds, was also reported to be faltering.
While neighbouring states such as Jharkhand, Bihar, Orissa, Assam and other northeastern states have been out on high bird flu alert, the Union health ministry asked West Bengal to adopt quarantine measures to prevent transport of people, animals and birds from the bird flu-affected areas. The state’s border with Bangladesh, which has been grappling with the bird flu menace for months, is also said to have been sealed.
As an immediate fallout from the Bengal bird flu, Bhutan has banned import of poultry and poultry products from India for an indefinite period with effect from yesterday. “It’s right across the border and we won’t take any chances,” Bhutan’s chief veterinary officer, Mr Karma Tenzin, said.
Chicken items will not be served on airlines operating from Kolkata, airlines sources said.
Source: http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=6&theme=&usrsess=1&id=186248 
