2 lakh birds culled, 9 cases suspected

Nearly 151 persons with symptoms such as fever, body ache etc have been identified in the Navapur area and their blood samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology at Pune, said Bhushan Gagarni, director general of information and public relations of the state today.

However, so far no confirmed case of the transfer of avian flu to human beings has been reported from the Nawapur region, but 9 suspected cases have been kept in an isolation ward at the district sub-hospital, he clarified.

He further said, so far more than 2 lakh birds have been culled by the animal husbandry department and compensation distribution has been started by the district administration. So far Rs 5.40 lakh has been paid to the poultry farmers, he added.

Meanwhile, Compound Livestock Feed Manufacturers' Association (CLFMA) of India, an association of livestock industry, convened a meeting in the city today to take stock of situation and its impact on the industry.

Over 50 members, representing various sectors of the poultry industry and All India Poultry Breeders Association, Poultry Federation of India and Poultry Processors Association of India were present at the meeting.

The members commended the steps taken by the Centre and the Maharashtra government to contain the disease in Nawapur taluka of Nandurbar district.

"We are concerned with drop in sales of poultry products by 20 per cent. The proactive steps taken by the government in restricting the spread of bird flu is commendable," said Bharat Tandon, chairman, CLFMA.

C K Vaidya, managing director, Godrej Agrovet, said, "With the outbreak of bird flu, it is now extremely important to make a concerted effort on bio security measures being taken at chicken farms with awareness to be created in the area of basic farm management."