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Worst is possibly over in avian flu, says official

Calcutta News.Net
Monday 4th February, 2008 (IANS)

India Monday declared that 'perhaps the worst is over' in avian influenza-hit West Bengal and that culling of poultry in affected areas would be over by Tuesday.

Animal Husbandry Secretary Pradeep Kumar said that 3.38 million birds have been culled in the country so far and 2.2 million more will be culled by Tuesday. The slaughter of birds would be done in the five-kilometre area adjoining West Bengal in Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa.

'Perhaps the worst is over. We are saying this on the basis that no new case has been reported from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Bihar and Tripura till Monday,' Kumar told reporters.

He also said he had his 'fingers crossed' that 'nothing undue happens' in the meantime.

The number of mortalities among birds due to bird flu has also come down. 'Only 14 birds were reported to have died on Feb 3 as compared to 11,000 five days ago,' he said.

About 2.7 million people in West Bengal were under surveillance till Monday. All the 25 samples collected from those suspected to have come in contact with infected birds have been found negative, he said.

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