Thaindian News

Shillong, Jan 22 (IANS) Authorities in Meghalaya have completed disinfection operations in a bird flu-hit area of East Garo Hills district, an official said Sunday.

“We have completed the entire process of disinfection and decontamination in 21 villages within a three-kilometer radius of a government-run farm at Williamnagar,” Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Director D. Lyungwa told IANS.

Williamnagar is the epicentre of a raging H5N1 virus.

The Bhopal-based High Security Animal Disease Laboratory Jan 11 declared that the birds which died on a farm in Williamnagar, district headquarters of East Garo Hills district, tested positive for H5N1 virus.

“Altogether, 6,538 birds including domesticated fowls were culled, 9,157 eggs and more than 800 kg of feeds destroyed in 21 villages,” Lyngwa said.

The government has paid Rs.381,648 to owners of the culled birds.

He said the rapid response team will start collecting blood samples from domesticated fowls from three to 10 km radius of the government farm in a day or two to ensure that the area was free from bird-flu.

Meanwhile, authorities are still continuing collecting blood samples from poultry birds across Meghalaya to prevent outbreak of the H5N1 virus in other districts.

“The blood samples collection will continue in other government and private-run farms in other districts,” the animal husbandry and Veterinary official said.

Though there has been no report of the infection spreading to humans, health workers are still conducting house-to-house surveillance to confirm if anyone is infected.

The health and family welfare department rushed a micro-biologist and a pathologist to Williamnagar.

The government has asked all districts to monitor the health of all poultry. The movement and sale of poultry and poultry products from the affected area has been stopped.