Four culling staff fall ill in India

Publication Date: 22-12-2008

At least four culling personnel were taken ill during culling and mopping operations of bird-flu infected chicken in Malda Saturday evening.

One of them Mohd Ellius was admitted to the isolation ward for observation.
According to the Malda CMOH, Dr Srikanta Roy, Mohd Ellius is suffering from abdominal pain.

“He does not have respiratory problem or influenza symptom so far. But we have kept him in the isolation ward for observation”, said Dr Roy. Besides Mohd Ellius, three others who were engaged in the culling and mopping operation were reported to have fallen ill.

According to Dr Roy, one Khagen Sarkar, who had fallen sick in course of the anti-Avian Flu operation, was recovering fast.

“He worked today in the field of his own accord as he feels all right,” said the official.

Two others, one Mohd Sazzad from Satgharia and another person with the same name, from Sujapur, who were working as labourers, fell ill too.

However, according to health officials, their illness has nothing to do with the culling operation. “Both were asthma patients and fell ill owing to the cold. They joined duty at the control room today (December 21),” said a health official.

The Malda CMOH said that with the culling operation over in 13 moujas of Narhatta gram panchayat in English Bazaar, the block health workers have started surveillance work within 0 to 3 km radius from the epicentre of the bird flu outbreak and found 112 people down with cold and fever.

“This report has been sent to the state health department headquarters. No one has so far been identified as suffering from fever in the affected area,” Dr Srikanta Roy said.