Bird Flu back in Malda

Bird Flu back in Malda
KOLKATA/MALDA, Dec. 15: Bird Flu has hit the state again. This time, it has come back to Malda. Samples of dead birds collected from Malda sent to the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory in Bhopal yesterday have tested H5N1 positive. The Centre today apprised the state animal resources development department (ARD) of the test results this evening.
Mr Sridhar Ghosh, district magistrate, Malda, said: “We have been told informally that Bird Flu has resurfaced. Culling will be started as soon as we get an official notification.”

But it could well be a case of too little too late as some ARD officials feel that the highly-pathogenic virus may have already spread widely as commercial shipment of poultry birds from the high-mortality areas could not be stopped altogether despite a ban on their transportation imposed last evening.

Mr Bishon Choudhury, the Norhatta gram panchayat pradhan said in Malda: “Thousands of poultry birds died in Budhia, Budhia-Kola, Satgharia, Anandipur, Madhyapara and Nagrai in the past one week. The district authorities never asked us to stop selling the birds." Mr NK ****, deputy director of ARD, Malda, said: “It's not possible to enforce the ban if birds are shipped out in the night.” Malda SP Mr Satyajit Bandopadhyay said he would see to it that it did not happen.

hat-tip Niman