Avian Flu: Bengal no wiser

Pranesh Sarkar
KOLKATA, Dec. 14: Has the state learnt any lesson from the previous bird flu outbreak that was termed worst ever in the country? Well, apparently the answer seems a big No.

For the animal resources development department (ARD) officials took six days to visit the villages in Malda, where above average mortality of poultry birds was reported, and collected samples to be sent to the Bhopal-based High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL) for bird flu confirmation test.

However, the action plan on Avian Influenza that was sent to all states in 2006 clearly states that if unusual sickness or above average mortality of poultry or wild and migratory birds is reported, the ARD officials should visit the place within 24 hours and ascertain the circumstances. Samples must be collected and a special messenger should leave for Bhopal within 24 hours after the ARD officials reach the spot.
A few senior ARD officials said above average mortality of poultry birds was being reported from three villages in Englishbazar block in Malda over the past one week or so. But the local ARD officials visited the villages only yesterday and collected dead bird as samples after death rate of poultry birds appeared to be alarming over the past three days.

A senior ARD official said: “An officer of assistant director rank has been sent to Bhopal with the samples this evening. As unusual mortality of poultry birds was reported and as poultry birds are dying with symptoms very similar to Avian Influenza, samples should have been sent much earlier.”

Officials also said as bird flu has not emerged since May in the state, the post-operative surveillance of poultry birds was not being done with utmost sincerity.
“No one can claim that the state was carrying out post operative surveillance with cent per cent sincerity. But alarmingly in some areas, we could achieve only 30-40 percent of the surveillance target over the past few month. This was evident in Malda too, where above average poultry birds were dying of a disease over the past seven days, the local ARD officials came to know about that after five days,” said an official.
However, the director of ARD, Mr K Saha, said: “As I have taken charge as director recently, I cannot comment...”