Bird Flu outbreak feared in Malda

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Dec. 14: The Malda district health authority seems to have geared itself up with more chickens and ducks dying in Satgharia and Sabjipara villages since Friday.

People have been anticipating Avian Flu recurrence in the region but with the news of more birds dying, they have started to panic. Reports of birds’ death even today in the neighbouring Budhia seems to have further compounded the situation.

The district animal resources development (ARD) officials yesterday visited two villages and collected samples of ailing and dead birds for laboratory test to confirm outbreak of Avian Flu.

The deputy director of ARD in Malda, Mr NK Shit, said that his department had found symptoms similar to Bird Flu in the dead and ailing birds. “We have sent three dead birds to Kolkata last night and are waiting for the test reports,” he said.

According to the health official sources, the regional diagnostic laboratory in Kolkata would send the dead birds to the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory in Bhopal today for the confirmation of H5N1 virus in their body. “Bird Flu has shown a recurrence inclination. It may recur twice or thrice depending upon the congeniality in the affected area's environment. Thus, we are concerned,” said Mr Shit.

It shoud be noted that Malda had experienced the first Bird Flu outbreak in January this year in the Chanchal sub-division area in the northern part of the district and then again in February. Hundreds of chickens had died with teh dreaded Bird Flu in several state run poultry farms in English Bazaar town.

The ARD officials, however, seemed to be denying this, refusing to give credence to the fresh panic reports pouring in from some villagers, although the villagers kept on insisting that hundreds of chickens and ducks had fallen prey to the disease over the last three days.

The ARD officials are reported to have informed the district magistrate of the death of only five birds, four at Satgharia and one at Sabjibazaar.

The additional district magistrate (general), Mr PC Sit, would visit the villages tomorrow. “I would visit the villages to ascertain the exact number of dead birds as confusion prevails over the figures reported from various quarters,” he said today.