India: Government increases efforts to check bird flu outbreak

BS Reporter / New Delhi December 24, 2008, 12:44

The government has increased its efforts to contain the recent outbreak of “bird flu” (or avian influenza) in West Bengal and Assam.

The measures taken by the government to check the outbreak in West Bengal include deployment of 328 animal health workers which have culled about 32,000 birds till now, according to a statement issued today by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Earlier this month, the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India, had notified the outbreak of the flu in Englishbazar block in Malda district of West Bengal.

Also, the first notification of the influenza in Assam came on 27 November in Hajo block of Kamrup district. Since then, 12 other epicenters of the viral activity have been notified by the department in Assam alone, where the government has deployed about 471 health workers who have achieved culling of a total of about 4,00,000 birds.

Avian Influenza or bird flu is an illness caused by an influenza virus that lives inside birds.