Avian influenza detected in Bhubaneswar #H5N1 #BIRDFLU

Feb 4, 2012, 05.47AM IST
BHUBANESWAR: The bird flu virus has struck Bhubaneswar, spreading panic among dealers and consumers of poultry products here.
The High Security Animal Disease Laboratory ( HSADL) of Indian Veterinary Research Institute ( IVRI) in Bhopal confirmed detection of the dreaded disease on Friday after testing samples sent by the Central Poultry Development Organisation (CPDO) here.
CDPO's farm is located behind the Kalinga Stadium in Nayapalli area in the heart of the city. "We have declared an area spread over three-km radius off the epicentre (the farm) as alert zone and ordered ban on movement of poultry birds or related products into the area or outside," commissioner, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation, Vishal Dev, told TOI.
BMC convened a meeting to discuss the issue and decided to forthwith initiate all preventive and precautionary measures. Official sources said CPDO had sent three samples for testing to the Bhopal laboratory after some birds died in its farm in the last week of January. "Of the three samples, at least one has tested positive for the H5N1 virus which causes bird flu or avian influenza," an officer disclosed.
Detection of bird flu in Bhubaneswar comes on the heels of the government undertaking culling operations at Keranga in Khurda district and Bahanada in Betanoti block of Mayurbhanj district to prevent the spread of the virus.
  Official sources said culling was expected in the CPDO farm and adjacent areas, but orders were awaited from the Centre.
Official sources said the CPDO farm has around 29,000 birds, including 16,600 chicks. Salia Sahi, the biggest slum in Odisha, falls under the alert zone, which spreads over 21 of the 60 wards in the capital city. "We have formed surveillance teams and would undertake such activities as sprinkling of bleaching powder at all poultry farms," Dev added.  http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/Avian-influenza-detected-in-Bhubaneswar/articleshow/11749961.cms

Bhubaneswar-Flu prompts bird count #H5N1 #BIRDFLU

BIBHUTI BARIK AND SIBDAS KUNDU

Bhubaneswar/Balasore, Jan. 19: The forest and environment department today conducted another survey of water fowls in Mayurbhanj covering all the 21 water bodies in the district. The count, the second this year after the January 8 survey, was considered necessary in view of the bird flu threat in the district. At least one poultry sample from Bahanada in Betnoti block of the district had been found to have the H5N1 virus earlier. Divisional forest officer Bijay Kumar Panda told The Telegraph: “We wanted to check the health of individual birds, but did not find anything alarming as not a single case was detected with a possible bird flu infection. However, we are yet to compile the numbers. They will be available by tomorrow morning.’’ For the census, four teams have been formed for three of the territorial ranges — Baripada, Karanjia and Rairangpur — headed by the respective DFOs. Experts in the field have been assisting them. “The water bodies will be the focus of the survey. Of the total population, about 90 per cent are migratory birds that visit these water bodies during winter,” he said. Around 25 species of migratory birds have been spotted in the forest area of Mayurbhanj this season. Pratyush Mohapatra, representative of the World Wildlife Fund, and two zoologists from North Odisha University have also been engaged to monitor the programme as experts. “The census has been undertaken under international treaty Ramsar Convention primarily to assess the number of migratory birds visiting the district during winter. We will record their duration of stay, habitat and breeding,’’ said S.M.T. Rehman, DFO of Karanjia. The report would be submitted to the principal chief wildlife warden. In Odisha, only two places — Chilika and Bhitarkanika — are recognised to have migratory birds, he said. “The feedback received, so far, has been encouraging and we will submit the report to the authorities concerned after compilation,” said regional chief conservator of forests Anup Kumar Nayak. Culling The culling of poultry birds within 3km radius of Bahanada, the epicentre of avian flu in Mayurbhanj, progressed for the second consecutive day today. Till this afternoon over 3,500 birds were culled by 10 rapid response teams. While 1,679 birds in nine villages were culled yesterday, teams are still operating in the same villages. According to sources in the animal resources development department, 1,697 layers, 38 broilers, 20 ducks were culled, 203 eggs and 1kg of poultry feed were destroyed today by 1.30pm. The compensation amount was also disbursed to the affected farmers on the spot. The bird flu control room at the fisheries and animal resources development department said that till today 1,273 crows had died across the state. Reports say 117 deaths were added today. While 12 districts were added to the list of suspected bird flu incidents, Jharsuguda became the 13th with the death of more than four crows in the district. The state government sent 394 samples today to the Bhopal-based High Security Animal Disease Laboratory for screening of H5N1.

Bhubaneswar-Bird flu battle intensifies #H5N1 #BIRDFLU

Bird flu battle intensifies Centre orders culling, zoo wary

BIBHUTI BARIK

Migratory birds at Ekamrakanan in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Ashwinee Pati Bhubaneswar, Jan. 17: Mutton has replaced chicken on the menus of carnivores at Nandankanan zoo and the Centre has ordered culling of poultry birds in and around Bahanada village in Mayurbhanj district. The authorities are leaving nothing to chance. While Nandankanan Zoological Park and Chandaka Dampara Sanctuary authorities are taking precautionary measures with the bird flu threat looming large over the city, the Union agriculture ministry this evening ordered the culling of poultry birds within a 3km radius of Bahanada village under Betnoti block in Mayurbhanj district. The culling process will start around 7am tomorrow under the supervision of three senior officials of the fisheries and animal resource development (FARD) department. More than 5,000 poultry birds will be killed. Apart from changing the carnivores’ menu at the city zoo, surveillance has been mounted to check possible signs of sickness among the more than 30,000 migratory birds currently staying at three water bodies at the Chandaka sanctuary. At Nandankanan, cleansing foot baths of potassium permanganate solutions have been placed near the enclosures of animals and birds to prevent contamination. The spraying of anti-bacterial chemicals in the park has begun. The zoo authorities are being extra cautious because more than 10 egrets were found dead near its boundary wall yesterday. Though officials attributed the deaths to possible poisoning or some other disease, local residents alleged that some of these birds had flu-like symptoms. Zoo director Sudarshan Panda said: “A team of zoo employees, under the leadership of a senior veterinary officer, has been deployed to check every bird on the campus. The team is on high alert and any unusual sight or a diseased animal will be reported so that we can ensure quick action. We are coordinating with experts from the FARD department and the College of Veterinary Sciences under the Odisha University of Agriculture Technology.’’ Assistant director Kamal Lochan Purohit said: “Since most of the birds are inside enclosures, there is less chance of them getting infected by the avian influenza H5N1 virus. But to keep the zoo environment clean, we have spread wet gunny bags washed with anti-bacterial chemicals so that there is no question of bacterial or viral contamination.’’ Chandaka Dampara Sanctuary authorities have also mounted surveillance within the sanctuary area as three major water bodies — Ekamrakanan lake, the river bed of Mahanadi and the Dampara ghat are currently playing host to more than 30,000 migratory birds. “Though the number of birds this year is less than last year’s 35,000, the arrival of a central team at Chilika lake to investigate any link of bird flu with the migratory birds has prompted us to start a similar probe. There are more than 8,000 birds only at Ekamrakanan lake. We cannot prevent or stop the spread, but can ensure better surveillance,’’ said divisional forest officer of the sanctuary Akshay Kumar Patnaik. The Chandaka Dampara Sanctuary near the state capital, which has a number of small and large water bodies, attracts many migratory birds. The FARD department has alerted its rapid response teams to step up surveillance near all the 12 major water bodies of the state. FARD sources said while the first H5N1 positive sample from Kerang in Khurda district came from an area that falls in the route of the migratory birds heading to Chilika lake, the second positive sample from Betnoti in Mayurbhanj is also close to a water body. Crow sample positive Highly-placed sources in the Fisheries and Animal Resources Development (FARD) Department said today that a crow sample sent from Keranga in Khurda district has been found to be infected with avian bird flu virus. Though the confirmatory result from the Bhopal-based High Security Animal Disease Laboratory is yet to arrive, the provisional report supports the fact that Keranga was also the epicenter of the crow deaths in the region as reported by The Telegraph on January 16 (Crow death mystery irks Odisha citizens). Though the FARD Department has admitted death of over 1,400 crows in the state, unconfirmed sources put it in thousands. Not only crows, but also other birds like pigeons, cattle egrets and bats are dying across the state. Tara Sankar Pan, central observer for the Keranga region, who is a deputy director in Institute of Animal Health and Veterinary Biologicals, Calcutta, said ``the positive H5N1 strain detected from a crow sample could be a serious indication, but still no one is sure from where the avian influenza virus originated from. Already a similar crow sample has been found positive in Jharkhand two weeks ago.’’  http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120118/jsp/odisha/story_15020280.jsp

Bird Flu Scare in Mayurbhanj

 January 15, 2012 |

Bird Flu Scare

Bhubaneswar: Worries ponder on State Government as a new case of avian influenza have been reported from Mayurbhanj district even as culling of poultry birds in Keranga continued by the rapid action teams on Saturday.

A preliminary report indicated that a poultry bird sample from Betanoti town in Mayurbhanj had confirmed the presence of bird flu.
The Government has rushed expert teams to Betanoti and sent the samples to the Bhopal-based High Security Animal Diseases Laboratory (HSADL) for test. The lab has formally informed the Government about the fresh incidence whereas the detailed report will follow shortly, sources said.
Around 31,175 poultry birds were culled on Saturday. Culling operation in the Khurda district would be completed today, according to official sources. However, the State Government, on the advice of the Central team, has reportedly decided to extend the limits of the affected areas to 210 villages spread over four blocks around Keranga.
Further Updates:
As many as 41 samples were sent to the Bhopal-based High Security Animal Diseases Laboratory (HSADL) for test on Saturday. Out of which one sample was found to have H5N1 virus, said Secretary, Fisheries and Animal Resources Development Satyabrata Sahu.  http://www.odisha360.com/2012/01/15/bird-flu-scare-in-mayurbhanj/

Bhutan-Bacterial infection killed P/Gatshel chickens #H5N1 #BIRDFLU

..yeah..right..

 

Serbithang lab test confirmed aflatoxin as the cause of death
Khotakpa, Shumar
 Bacterial infection was confirmed to have killed hundreds of chickens in Pemagatshel.
Earlier this week, 267 layers died within two days in one of the poultry farms in Khotakpa village. Khotakpa is about five km away from Pemagatshel town.
Animal husbandry officials are now giving the remaining 73 birds in the farm, sulpha-dimidina injections and tetra-cycline powder to control bacterial infection.
Last month, a brood of 480 layers were also reported to have died in another poultry farm in Denchi, which is about an hour’s drive from Pemagatshel town.
A test result from Serbithang confirmed aflatoxin as the cause of death. Aflatoxin is a toxin found in bird feed, the artificial insemination technician, Padam Kumar Thapa explained. Aflatoxins grows on grains and legumes during storage. Other common bird feeds that often contain aflatoxins are corn, walnuts and pecans
The birds however tested negative for avian or bird flu that has been responsible for poultry deaths in other parts of the country.
Around the same time, another brood of 100 chicks died from unregulated temperature during incubation, called brooding management in animal husbandry terminology.
“They could have died because of the cold,” Padam Kumar Thapa said. “The normal temperature maintained during incubation is between 37-45 degree Celsius but that time it was 21 degree Celsius.”
The deaths have caused poultry farmers in Pemagatshel to look for other sources of income, to be able to repay the loan they had borrowed from the Bhutan Development Bank limited. There are four poultry farms in Pemagatshel.
One of the owners is 26-year old Sangay Zam, who started a poultry farm about seven months ago with a loan of Nu 300,000. She recently received a letter from the bank for not paying her monthly installment of Nu 7,500.
Her family depends solely on the income from the farm. “It’s very disappointing because there are hardly any eggs to sell,” she said. “The number of eggs laid a day has dropped from around 400 to seven today.”
Which is also why her husband, Dorji, 32 who used to work all day in the field, has today started sawing timber.  http://www.kuenselonline.com/2011/?p=25079

Bird flu spreads to Mayurbhanj district in Odisha #H5N1 #BIRDFLU

Bird flu spreads to Mayurbhanj district in Odisha
By Our correspondent Date : 15-Jan-2012 10:24:43
Bhubaneswar (odisha): After Khurda district, the Bird flu has spread to tribal-dominated Mayurbhanj district where cases of avian influenza were today detected. Confirming the bird flu in Mayurbhanj district, a senior official in fisheries and animal resource department said "Bird flu has been confirmed at Bahanada village of Betanati area in Mayurbhanj district. Steps were initiated immediately to prevent its spread." One of the 41 bird samples sent from the area to the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory, Bhopal has tested positive for H5N1 avian influenza, he said. Meanwhile the authorities have banned the sale and transport of poultry and eggs from the area and the district administration has stepped up the effort for demarcation of villages existing within three km radius of Bahanada village. http://odishatoday.com/viewnews.php?news_id=2346

Collection of Dead Crows # H5N1 #BIRDFLU

Collection of Dead Crows by Veterinary Officials at Unit-3, Bhubaneswar January 14, 2012http://www.odisha360.com/gab_gallery/crows-die-in-flu-at-unit-3-bhubaneswar/

Bird Flu: Culling of birds continues #H5N1 #BIRDFLU

Bird Flu: Culling of birds continues  http://www.odisha360.com/2012/01/13/bird-flu-spreads-over-a-dozen-of-districts/flu-3/

BHUBANESWAR-Crows found dead in capital #H5N1 #BIRDFLU

Crows found dead in capital

BHUBANESWAR: The bird flu scare spread to the state capital as scores of crows were found dead in different parts of the city, even as culling of poultry fowls continued at Keranga in Khurda district for the second consecutive day on Friday.

Locals of Unit-III area here have reported death of around 70 to 80 crows in the locality, forcing authorities to collect samples for testing. "Like elsewhere, the samples collected from Bhubaneswar will also be sent to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute's High Security Animal Disease Laboratory at Bhopal," a senior officer of fisheries and animal resources development department said.
"We are really worried as over the past 2 to 3 days we are witnessing death of crows. In the initial days less than 10 crows were found dead, but on Friday it was around 60," said B C Jena, a resident of Unit-III.
Official sources said secretary, fisheries and animal resources development, Satyabrata Sahu, has already discussed about crow deaths with officers of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation and asked for increased surveillance.
Around 35 km away in Keranga, 10 rapid response teams, comprising veterinarians and other officers, continued culling of hens and ducks within three km of the radius of the epicentre of bird flu. Till Friday evening, 11,260 birds had been killed, nodal officer of fisheries and animal resources development department Gopal Tripathy said. As many as 6,862 eggs and 57 kg of poultry feed have also been destroyed since the exercise begun on Thursday, Tripathy said.
Official sources said the government has so far not received any report from the Bhopal laboratory confirming bird flu in any other part of Odisha other than Keranga.
Deaths of crows and pigeons were also reported from Jaleswar in Balasore district. Crow deaths were also recorded in parts of Kendrapada district. Sources said since December last week bird deaths have been reported from 12 districts.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/Crows-found-dead-in-capital/articleshow/11481454.cms