Darjeeling reeling under bird flu fear
January 31st, 2008 - 8:25 pm ICT by adminDarjeeling/Kolkata, Jan 31 (ANI): The fear of bird flu spread on Thursday gripped Darjeeling district of West Bengal as 38 chickens were found dead at Takdah village.
The total number of bird-flu hit districts in the state has gone up to 13 out of 19, despite the culling of birds being taken up on a war footing.
Thirty-eight chickens died at Takdah village of the district on Wednesday night, said Darjeeling Magistrate Rajesh Pandey, adding that blood samples have been sent to Bhopal.
According to sources, the West Bengal Animal Husbandry Ministry has raised the culling target to 27 lakh after death of 4,000 chickens were reported in North 24 Parganas district on Wednesday.
“As the target area is increasing every day it is impossible to say how many chicken will have to be killed,” West Bengal Animal Resources Development minister Anisur Rehman said.
“We have sent more than 3,500 human samples and none have tested positive,” he added.
In West Bengal, fresh poultry deaths were reported yesterday from a private farm in South 24-Parganas triggering fears that the H5N1 virus might be spreading to the organised sector after affecting backyard chicken.
Earlier this week, Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss had said that poultry deaths due to bird flu in West Bengal have declined.
“It is a fact that the natural disease mortality has declined in West Bengal due to
The Central Government had sought details from neighbouring Bangladesh on the strain of bird flu virus affecting the poultry in that country.
The 5000-crore organised poultry industry in West Bengal has been badly hit following the outbreak of bird flu.
Since January 15, when the epidemic was officially declared, chicken sales and exports have dipped to an all time low.
Poultry owners are being paid 40 rupees for each bird that is culled. Poultry farm owners hope banks and financial institutions will back them again this time.
In 2006, after bird flu was detected in Maharashtra, the Centre had given a four per cent subsidy on interest on loans given to the organised sector and backed it up with subsidy on poultry feed.
In Jharkhand, additional check posts have been set up in nine sensitive districts adjacent to West Bengal. The district administrations have banned the movement of poultry products from West Bengal. (ANI)
- 3,000 poultry culled over bird flu scare - Dec 27, 2011
- Bird flu detected on Bangladesh farm - Nov 15, 2011
- Disinfection in Meghalaya bird flu-hit area completed - Jan 22, 2012
- Culling of birds starts in Bengal - Sep 20, 2011
- 17,000 poultry culled in Bangladesh - Apr 14, 2011
- Bird flu: Culling of birds planned in Bhubaneswar (Lead) - Feb 04, 2012
- Bird flu: 7,000 fowls culled in Bhubaneswar - Feb 05, 2012
- Bird flu case surfaces in Bhubaneswar - Feb 04, 2012
- India confirms bird flu in Bengal, PM concerned - Sep 20, 2011
- Chicken culling starts, as bird flu strikes Tripura - Mar 08, 2011
- 2,000 dead birds set off flu fears in Meghalaya - Jan 09, 2012
- Fresh death of fowls, culling continues in Meghalaya - Jan 15, 2012
- Meghalaya culls 5,000 birds - Jan 18, 2012
- Over 300 chickens culled in Nepal farm - Mar 22, 2012
- Culling continues in avian flu-hit district of Meghalaya - Jan 13, 2012
Tags: anbumani ramadoss, animal husbandry, animal resources, bird flu, bird flu virus, chicken sales, culling, development minister, disease mortality, financial institutions, h5n1 virus, health minister, human samples, lakh, poultry farm, poultry industry, private farm, rehman, target area, west bengal
