Howrah News Service -  Latest news and headlines on Howrah,West Bengal and World: Birdflu spreads in WB, scares neighbouring states

Birdflu spreads in WB, scares neighbouring states
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editor on 23 January, 2008 08:02:00
 
Almost half of West Bengal was today in the grip of bird flu which is knocking
at the doors of Kolkata and sending jitters in neighbouring Bihar and Meghalaya.
Cooch Behar and Hooghly were added to the list of districts affected by the
disease even as the authorities said they may have to raise the target of
culling 20 lakh chicken.
Death of chicken was also reported from Howrah, bordering Kolkata.
The Bihar government ordered culling of chicken in six panchayat areas of
Katihar district, adjacent to the affected Malda district of West Bengal. "This
is being carried out as a preventive measure," Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi
said.
An alert was sounded in Meghalaya. An awareness campaign has been launched to
prevent an outbreak, Meghalaya Chief Secretary Ranjan Chatterjee said.
Additional check points have been set up along the Indo-Bangla border to check
cross-border smuggling of poultry.
In the already affected districts of Nadia and Murshidabad districts of West
Bengal, more blocks have reported the disease, local administration officials
said.
"Samples of chicken sent from Cooch Behar and Hooghly districts to the
High-risk Security Disease Laboratory (HSDL) in Bhopal yesterday tested
positive," Animal Resources Development Minister Anisur Rahaman said.
Nine districts -- Birbhum, Murshidabad, South Dinajpur, Burdwan, Nadia, Bankura
and Malda Cooch Behar and Hoogly -- out of 19 in the state have so far fallen
prey to avian flu.
There was, however, no case of human beings being affected, the minister said,
adding the target of culling, set at 20 lakh spread over seven days, was also
likely to be raised.