India-Khurda district High alert #H5N1 #BIRDFLU

Centre directs to kill hens and chicks within three kilometer radius of Odisha's Kerang village

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Bhubaneswar: Centre directs to kill hens and chicks within three kilometer radius of Kerang. Decision taken after visit of Central team of experts. Ten teams to start mass killing of hens and chicks in Kerang from Thursday morning. Over 38,000 birds to be butchered.It should be noted that earlier the Khurda district administration has put 19 villages under high alert following the visit of the Central team which visited several parts of Kenrang where bird flu has been detected. An 80-member veterinary team has meanwhile been imparted Traing. The Central team headed by expert Tara Shankar Pan today held discussions with the director animal husbandry and Khurda district collector and suggested measures to tackle bird flu. High alert has been sounded on all the villages in a radius of ten kilometre around Kerang and ten field units have been formed to maintain vigil. Strict vigil was maintained on the migratory birds to Chilka as well. The sources said in view of the increasing bird flu scare, the animal resources development department has started training personnel on culling of birds. However, the state government is awaiting the advisory from the Central government. The state government is sending report to the Centre on daily basis on the situation, the sources said, adding that apart from sending blood samples and tracheal swap of crows and poultry birds were sent to the laboratories for testing. The sources added that all district authorities have been asked to open control rooms in all offices of district veterinary officers round the clock to receive information regarding the bird flu and to advise the people to take preventive measures. The state government has sounded high alert in Khurda, Mayrubhanj, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Keonjhar and Angul districts. Fisheries and animal resources secretary Satyabrata Sahu said that the state government had asked the administrations of all the 30 districts to take samples of blood from the birds suspected to be carrying the H5N1 virus and to send them for examination. He said that the department had also directed the concerned district authorities to keep close watch on the movement of the birds and put restriction on movement of birds, particularly the poultry birds from any farms. We have asked the district collectors to ban export of poultry birds from the affected area with immediate effect, Sahu maintained. While eight response teams have been formed at the state level to ensure containing the possible spread of the dreaded disease, five quick response teams have been deployed in Khurda district alone. The sources said that the movement of the poultry birds in and around three km radius of Keranga and Betanati have been prohibited. The entire areas have been sanitisd, vaccination started in the affected areas and a close watch kept on the development, they said, adding, preventive vaccinations have been accelerated so as to keep the poultry farms insulated against the virus.    http://orissadiary.com/CurrentNews.asp?id=31337