MALDA/COOCH BEHAR, Dec. 17: Sitting up to the Bird Flu menace in the district, the Malda divisional forest officials have started to keep an eye on the migratory birds that have started coming in with the onset of winter.
Divisional forest officer in Malda Mr Rajendra Jakhar said that forest guards have been instructed to hand over dead birds, found in the forests, to the animal resources development for tests. So far the forest department has not come across dead birds in the forests.
The forest department does not believe that migratory birds were responsible for repeated outbreak of Bird Flu in Malda district. “Several dead birds collected from Kulik bird sanctuary in North Dinajpur were sent for examination. None of them tested Avian Flu positive,” Mr Jakhar said.
The region has three hubs for migratory bird at Adina in Gazol, Nayabandh in Habibpur close to the Bangladesh border and Farakka ~ all at considerable distance from the Satgharia village in Norhatta gram panchayat where culling operations started on Tuesday after detection of Avian Flu. In Cooch Behar, the ARD hass already taken precautionary measures to combat Bird Flu.
Physical surveillance along with the collection of blood samples has begun in the blocks and the officials have been instructed to report suspected cases to the higher authorities. Blood samples have been sent for tests to the Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory at Belgachia in Kolkata. If required the samples would be resent to Bhopal for further tests, ARD officials said in Cooch Behar.
In addition to poultry, migratory birds are also under the scanner in Cooch Behar. Droppings of the winged guests are being collected from Rasik-bil, Rasamati Jhil and Sagardighi.
A few samples collected from Rasik-bil have been sent for tests. Meanwhile, spraying of vehicles, passing through the Assam-Bengal border at Baxirhat and Bangladesh border at Changrabandha, with disinfectants is being done. No vehicle would be allowed to enter the country without disinfecting them. n SNS
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