India to ask B?desh to help contain bird flu spread

India is likely to ask Bangladesh to help containing the spread of Bird Flu in the region. This deadly disease on poultry birds recently occurred in the country’s northeastern state, Assam, which borders Bangladesh. Indian authorities feel that the deadly virus have entered the country from Bangladesh

Bird Flu has spread to Barpeta, Nalabari and Kamrup districts in Assam leading to culling of over 100,000 birds. The worst hit area and the epicenter is Palasbari circle. The neigbouring states like Tripura and Mizoram have sounded high alert.

Bird Flu has been occurring in the country since 2006 and has severely affected the poultry industry and exports. The last incidence of Bird Flu was reported was reported in West Bengal in February, 2008 and after extensive culling operations and control measures, the world animal health organization ? OIE ? declared the country as Bird Flu free in mid-November, this year. But before some importing countries could lift the ban on Indian exports, the tragedy visited again in the first week of December.

Earlier also there were incidences of Bird Flu in northeastern India and Indian authorities had maintained that the virus spread from the neighbouring Bangladesh.

The matter was taken up in the forum of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and Bhutan had backed India’s proposal for persuading Bangladesh to contain the spread of Bird Flu.

“We have asked the ministry for external affairs to take up the issue with Bangladesh for containing the spread of the deadly virus. We are members of the 8-nation body SAARC and the region has to be free of Bird Flu virus and the cooperation of Bangladesh is absolutely necessary,” said a senior official in the department of animal husbandry.

Irked with the frequent occurrence of Bird Flu in different parts of the country, the poultry industry under the banner of the National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC) has urged the government to urgently take up zoning of poultry areas in the country so that the occurrence of Bird Flu in a particular zone would not affect the exports from other Bird Flu-free zones.