Culling complete, now disinfection

Statesman News Service
KOLKATA, Feb. 4: The state government today ordered starting of the disinfection process in areas where culling of birds and mop-up operation is over. Mr Dilip Chakraborty, principal secretary, state animal resources department, said disinfection would start in districts like Bankura, Purulia, Burdwan and South Dinajpur as mop-up operation was over in these districts. Though no human case of avian influenza was reported in the state, two rapid response team members fell ill at Budge Budge in South 24-Parganas.
Mr Chakraborty also said that culling operation would be completed by tomorrow if no new case was confirmed. Culling operation is on in three districts, East Midnapore, South 24-Parganas and North 24-Parganas. In all other districts the culling operation is over and mop-up drive is on. He also said that policemen have to be deployed in some places to make the mop-up operation trouble-free.
One of the rapid response team members who fell ill was shifted to Bangur Hospital and another person was admitted to the local block primary health centre. These officials have high fever and body ache. But health department officials said that they have no signs of lower respiratory tract infection. Mr RS Shukla, the director of West Bengal State AIDS Prevention and Control Society, who is monitoring the Bird Flu situation, said that both of them are under observation and their clinical test reports are awaited.
Meanwhile, the state has asked all the district magistrates of the Bird Flu affected districts to prepare a list of the affected families. The secretary said that after the lists were finalised, the exact number of the affected would be known. Till now, the state has sanctioned Rs 11.5 crore for culling operations. The Centre has also sanctioned Rs 8.5 crore for the purpose. After getting the exact number of the affected families, the required money for the interim relief has to be generated.
The secretary also said that the families whose chickens died unusually 10 days before the Bird Flu notification in the area, would be entitled to the interim relief as announced by the state government. No suspected human cases of avian influenza have been detected in any of the Bird Flu affected districts of West Bengal, the Centre said today. According to the data given by the ministries of health and agriculture, 27.69 lakh people are under surveillance. About 3,298 people have been detected with fever and upper respiratory infection, of which 12 had exposure history to sick and infected birds and all cases have been followed up. Jharkhand, Bihar and Assam have been instructed to ban entry of poultry or poultry related products from West Bengal.
AP adds from Jakarta: A health official says a woman has died of Bird Flu in Indonesia.