Bird flu alert in India

   Ahmedabad/Mumbai/New Delhi/Bangalore/Nandurbar: Following the confirmation by the Central Government about the outbreak of bird flu cases in Maharashtra, an alert has been sounded across Gujarat. Some case of bird flu in six poultry farms near Surat in Gujarat were also confirmed and the State government has planned to go in for immediate vaccination of birds in Ucchal town of Surat district, with the help of a Central team.

     Meanwhile, authorities in Maharashtra have started disposing of birds affected by flu. The Centre yesterday announced its first cases of bird flu and said eight persons were being checked for the disease after tests on poultry in Nandurbar district showed they were infected with the deadly H5N1 strain. About 50,000 birds have died in the area in the last few days and samples sent to a government laboratory confirmed bird flu in the district, about 450 km (280 miles) north of Mumbai. But so far there is no confirmed case of bird flu in humans. "All the people, who are showing signs of nausea and other symptoms would be taken to the special OPDs, where screening would be done and their isolation would be done. We are getting enough stock of anti-viral medicines. We are still getting more from the government of India, we call Chemopropalytis, that we would be administering to the culling team and for the persons handling the poultry we are covering," said P. Ambazhagam, Chief Executive Officer of Nadurbar. "We are segregating people who are normally suspected of symptoms, we are segregating, for the past two days. We have 4-5 cases. We have not seen any typical bird flu symptoms in anyone of them," he added. Officials also banned trade in poultry in a 10-km (mile) radius around the outbreak. The Health Ministry said up to 500,000 birds would be culled in Maharashtra in response to the disease. Union Health Secretary P.K. Hota said eight people were being tested for the H5N1 virus while four more are being kept under observation. "When we sent the samples to the main laboratory in Bhopal, eight samples were found positive for H5N1 strain. It's only an intermediary confirmation. The final result would only be available in further test over a period of four to five days. There is one more final test which would established how virulent the strain is, what is the intensity of the virus high or low," said Hota. Hota also corroborated the disease has not infected to human beings. "The clinical symptoms from the blood samples so far do not show infection of bird flu to humans, because in bird flu lungs get affected. So far we have no such case," he said.

    Meanwhile, panic gripped poultry farm owners across the country on Sunday. Poultry owners in national capital New Delhi said their business has been doomed following the news of the outbreak of the bird flu. "Our sales have been badly affected. The price for the chicken has decreased drastically. Yesterday it was Rs.44 (approximately a dollar), now it has come down to Rs.35 (less than a dollar). Our business has been marred. It's Sunday but no one's coming to buy anything," said Altaf, a poultry owner. "We have decided that all the poultry within the radius of 3 km should be culled and birds falling within 10 km of area will be inoculated. The injections are being made available," Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil told reporters. Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss, however, said that there was no need to panic as the situation was under control. "There is absolutely no reason to panic. Situation is under control and all the personnel are there on the spot. Health personnel, animal husbandry officials, state government officials and local body officials - everybody is doing their duty round the clock. In fact even there was a meeting here... we have sufficient medicines available," said Ramadoss in Bangalore on Saturday.

   India is the fifth largest producer of eggs in the world. Livestock and poultry is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the country. In Indonesia, bird flu claimed its 19th human victim when tests showed a 23-year-old market worker who died a week ago had the H5N1 virus. His death takes the number of known human cases of the disease worldwide to 171 and the death toll to 93. Two hundred million birds across Asia, parts of the Middle East, Europe and Africa have died of the virus or been culled. So far most victims of bird flu globally have had direct or indirect contact with chickens, but there are fears the virus will mutate into a strain easily passed among people, causing a pandemic in which millions could die. Bird flu has also spread deep into Europe with the first likely case in France -- Europe's biggest poultry producer.

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