Bird Flu: Central Team Visits Affected Areas In Paradip

Paradip: While the Jagatsinghpur district administration has revved up its efforts to contain the spread of bird flu in Paradip area, a four-member team of Union Health Ministry led by Dr Leena Bandyopadhyay arrived at the district headquarters on Tuesday to conduct a ground zero survey in the Port Town and its periphery.

Prior to visiting the affected area, the central team had a discussion with the district collector the officials of the Paradip Municipality about the action taken in this regard so far to contain the disease from spreading to other areas.

Meanwhile, two of the 134 samples of domestic birds sent to  National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) in Bhopal by the State Animal Resources Department have been found to be H5N1 positive.

A total of 10 Rapid Response teams, comprising two surveillance teams and eight culling teams, have been formed under the Chief District Veterinary Officer (CDVO) Ramesh Chandra Behera.

As a precautionary measure, the district administration has asked the poultry farms within one km radius of the area from where the dead crows were found, not to purchase or sell birds and eggs.

On Monday, the Rapid Response team had collected 39 chicken, 170 eggs and 20 kgs of poultry feed from chicken centres at Badapadia. The team then left for Sandhakuda slum area and collected more than 500 hen and more than 200 eggs. Later, all chickens were culled and dumped inside a pit with the eggs near a dump yard and covered with soil.

As informed by Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Fisheries & Animal Resources Development (F&ARD), Vishal Gagan, the state government has directed the district administration to ensure that there would be no sale and rearing of poultry within 10-km radius of Paradip town in the next three months.