India is free of bird-flu, for now

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Govt working out package for bird flu victims

New Delhi, Nov 17 : Nearly a year after India was hit by the worst case of bird flu epidemic in West Bengal, the central government has notified the World Organisation Of Animal Health (OIE) that the country for the time being, has resolved all outstanding cases of the disease. The OIE is an inter-governmental organisation responsible for improving animal health worldwide.

Officials said that India’s voluntary notification to the OIE signified that the country has regained its ‘bird-flu free’ status for the time being. The government informed the OIE that since the last outbreak of bird flu in West Bengal and Tripura in January and April respectively, all cases have been successfully resolved and hence the country will no longer file any more status reports on the outbreak. This should bring much needed respite to the poultry industry and farmers more so right at the start of the winter season, when consumption of chickens and eggs rises manifold.

Every country, which has been affected by an outbreak of animal disease has to notify the OIE about the outbreak, giving details on the steps being taken to control the affected area, the number of deaths during the time of the outbreak and after successful containment of the disease.

“The filing is a voluntary process by each country, wherein officials have to first report the occurrence of an event and thereafter follow report almost every month till the time it is resolved according to the satisfaction of the OIE,” a senior official from the animal husbandry department said. Rickey Thaper, treasurer, Poultry Federation of India, said that after India regained ‘bird-flu free’ status Saudi Arabia has placed orders for import of table eggs for the first time since January.

In mid-January, India reported an outbreak of bird flu disease in the Birbhum and Dakshin-Dinajpur districts of West Bengal after traces of the H5N1 were found in domestic poultry firms. Within weeks, bird flu cases were reported from Nadia, Burdwan, Murshidabad, Bankura, Coochbehar, Birbum, South 24 Parganas, Hoogly and Malda.

The outbreak was termed as the worst case of bird flu in the country and health officials suspected that poultry and eggs illegally transported from Bangladesh, which has been reeling under a bird flu attack, could have been responsible for the spread of disease in India. The virus later spread to Tripura, which also borders Bangladesh and Myanmar.