Bird flu or avian influenza has resurfaced in West Bengal again after a gap of 3 years.
The State government on Tuesday confirmed incidents of bird flu in Nadia district. According to senior Government officials, incidents of avian influenza have been confirmed in poultry samples collected from two villages in Tehatta Block 1 of the district.
Samples collected from the villages were sent to the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL) in Bhopal where they tested positive for the H5N1 strain.
“The State Government has ordered immediate culling of birds and destruction of eggs and feed material to control the spread of the disease. Around 50,000 birds will be culled,” a senior State Animal Resource Department official said. According to senior State government officials, culling of the entire poultry stock within a three kilometre radius of the affected villages will be carried out.
Surveillance will also be carried out across the affected villages as well as those within a 10-km radius, and in districts bordering Nadia.
The West Bengal Government has been asked to furnish a daily report to the Centre.
PRECAUTIONS
The Centre has advised a series of strategic actions to be taken up immediately in the area by the Animal Husbandry and Public Health Departments. It has issued guidelines to ban the movement of poultry and its products in the infected areas; closure of poultry and egg markets and shops within a radius of 10 km from the infected site; ban on movement of farm personnel; restricting access to wild and stray birds, infected premises; disposal of dead birds and infected materials; clean-up and disinfection followed by sealing of the premises.
The Union Government will share costs of compensation on 50:50 basis with the State government for the loss of poultry on account of culling and destruction of birds.