Govt issues red alert on bird flu

Imports from affected countries banned

Even while ascertaining that India is so far free of the dreaded bird flu, the agriculture ministry has issued red alert to all states to be vigilant against the disease that has played havoc in the South and Southeast Asian countries, including Pakistan.

To prevent the entry of the infection into the country, the government has banned imports from all countries with confirmed bird flu cases.

The import of poultry, including grand-parent stock used by hatcheries and other units, has been put under constant monitoring. All quarantine stations have been alerted for necessary actions and ensuring the testing of all imports.

Confirmed cases of the bird flu (Avian Influenza) have already been reported from several countries. Besides causing loss worth millions of dollars because of cancelled poultry export orders and destruction of entire suspected bird populations, the highly pathogenic disease has also caused several human deaths in Vietnam and Thailand.

According to poultry scientists, though there is no need for alarm in India as yet, due caution is surely called for in view of the reports of lakhs of confirmed cases of the disease in Karachi and other parts of Pakistan. However, the strains detected in Pakistan "" H-5 and H-7 "" are said to be safe for human.

Unlike H-5 strain, found in other Asian countries "" which is communicable to, and potentially fatal for, human beings "" the strains noticed in Pakistan normally affect the birds only. In fact, the infection has been affecting the poultry birds for past three to four years but there has been no report of any ill-effect on human beings.

However, the Union animal husbandry department does not intend to take any chances and has evolved a nine-point strategy to tackle the disease.

It has sent communications to chief secretaries and animal husbandry directors of all states to immediately report any case of suspected bird flu to the Centre as well as the Central and Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratories.

The Bareilly-based Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) and all regional laboratories have been asked to test the samples and send the morbid material to the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL) at Bhopal for confirmation.

Any suspected case detected by the vigilance teams need to be compulsorily reported to the farm authorities and state veterinary departments.

In the event of detection of infected flock, all the operations of the farm in terms of marketing of birds and bird products, including eggs, are to be stopped completely.

The state governments have also been asked to prepare plans for monitoring and regulating the movement of birds from one farm to another and inter-state movement.

The entry of new birds in the flocks from outside and from sources of unknown disease status has been barred. Strict regulation is to be imposed on the entry of personnel, material, visitors and vehicles into any area affected by the disease.

The strategy also envisages proper disposal of the culled (destroyed) birds and droppings of the poultry. No exchange of material and personnel will be permitted between farms in the affected areas.