Bird flu panic abates in Meghalaya
February 11th, 2012 - 4:16 pm ICT by IANSShillong, Feb 11 (IANS) Authorities Saturday gave the all-clear signal and calmed the panic in Meghalaya after clinical tests on dead pigeons proved negative for bird flu, a veterinary official said Saturday.
“The blood samples of the pigeons which were sent for testing at Assam-based Regional Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (RRDL) have confirmed negative for bird flu,” said Meghalaya’s Animal and Husbandry Veterinary director D. Lyngwa.
On Friday, veterinary authorities sent blood samples of three pigeons after over a hundred pigeons were found dead at Keating Road in the heart of Shillong.
“Further tests would take place to confirm the exact cause of deaths of the pigeons, with results due next week,” Lyngwa told IANS.
The deaths of pigeons surfaced after 19 days, when a rapid response team completed disinfection operations in bird flu-hit area of East Garo Hills district.
Altogether, 6,538 birds including domesticated fowls were culled, 9,157 eggs and more than 800 kg of feeds were destroyed in 21 villages in East Garo Hills, after the Bhopal-based High Security Animal Disease Laboratory declared the birds were infected with H5N1 virus.
“There is nothing to panic and people can consume poultry products and chicken in the city,” Lyngwa said.
- Bird flu suspected in Meghalaya - Feb 10, 2012
- Disinfection in Meghalaya bird flu-hit area completed - Jan 22, 2012
- Meghalaya culls 5,000 birds - Jan 18, 2012
- Culling continues in avian flu-hit district of Meghalaya - Jan 13, 2012
- More birds die in Meghalaya, test reports awaited - Jan 10, 2012
- 2,000 dead birds set off flu fears in Meghalaya - Jan 09, 2012
- Fresh death of fowls, culling continues in Meghalaya - Jan 15, 2012
- Poultry culling begins in Meghalaya - Jan 12, 2012
- Make poultry farming in northeast more scientific: Aviation flu experts - Apr 22, 2012
- Experts to study cause of bird flu outbreak - Mar 17, 2012
- Meghalaya on alert after test confirms bird flu - Jan 11, 2012
- Bird flu: 7,000 fowls culled in Bhubaneswar - Feb 05, 2012
- More poultry birds culled in Odisha - Jan 18, 2012
- Assam businessman killed, another abducted in Meghalaya - Aug 08, 2012
- Garo militant nabbed in Meghalaya (Lead) - Jun 06, 2012
Tags: animal disease, assam, bird flu, blood samples, clear signal, clinical tests, dead pigeons, diagnostic laboratory, disease laboratory, east garo hills, exact cause, fowls, garo hills district, high security, husbandry, poultry products, rapid response team, regional research, rrdl, shillong