The bird flu is now not confined to West Bengal alone. It has now spread to Tripura which is also adjoining Bangladesh.
The High Security Animal Disease Laboratory, Bhopal has confirmed positive result for Avian Influenza in respect of one sample collected from village Mohanpur in Mohanpur gram panchayat in Salema block in Kamalpur sub-division of Dhalai district in Tripura on Monday. The focal point of infection is just half a kilometer from the international border of Bangladesh
In pursuance of the above test results, a notification has been issued to the Tripura government and others concerned.
According to a press lease of the Union government, the officers of both the central and state governments have already reached the affected area and formulated a plan of action to launch control and containment operations against the disease. The area of infection has been sealed and no movement, to and fro, of poultry and poultry products is being allowed. The required number of rapid response teams have already been constituted. The culling operations will start on April 8, 2008 and involve 15,000 to 20,000 poultry birds, mostly in backyard. These are likely to be completed in three days. The local administration, in association with veterinary authorities, have already started holding meetings in the area to sensitize the villagers about the disease.
In West Bengal,apart from notification of outbreak of Avian Influenza among poultry in Jalpaiguri district on March 27, 2008, no further outbreaks have been notified.