Over 6,200 poultry birds and ducks were culled in Tripura after reports of a fresh outbreak of bird flu, officials said here on Thursday.

The culling was done in Lembuchara area of western Tripura. “Mopping up operations and disinfection of poultry farms, birds and ducks enclosures and cages have begun,” Tripura animal resource development department director Manoranjan Sarkar said.

Bird flu has re-surfaced at Lembucherra, 45 km from here, official sources said on Thursday. More than 2,000 ducks and others birds will be culled on Friday.
Following reports of poultry deaths in the area, blood samples were collected and examined and H5 strain of avian influenza virus was found, officials said.

The district administrations of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam have issued a bird flu alert in the wake of avian influenza cases in Odisha.

The administrations of the three coastal districts have also appealed to the public, particularly poultry farmers and non-vegetarians, to take precaution. A senior Animal Husbandry Department officer said they have started making all possible efforts to stop migration of crows, parrots and cranes, besides poultry chicken, from Odisha.

BERHAMPUR: Death of poultry in Raikia block has spread bird flu panic among the residents. The deaths were reported from two SHGs. Sources said a SHG in Gamandi village had procured 600 chicks with financial assistance from a bank on the advice of local veterinary office, on January 6. However, the members found 10 chicks dead the following day. And so far, 180 have perished. Another SHG at Barepanga village too saw death of 50 chicks.

The Panchkula administration on Tuesday informed a local court that action is being taken for removal of stray cattle, but as per law, “statutory time” and “proper opportunity” is to be given to defaulters, which delays complete eradication. In a joint reply filed by Deputy Commissioner, Additional Deputy Commissioner, and Municipal Council Panchkula before Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Gurvinder Kaur, pleaded that action is being taken for getting rid of stray cattle nuisance.

The long awaited slaughterhouse in Panchkula is likely to see the light of the day. The Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA), which constructed the slaughterhouse in Industrial Area, Phase I, will hand over the possession to Municipal Corporation (MC), Panchkula shortly. The MC has to, however, get an environmental clearance before making it operational.

SHILLONG: The World Health Organization (WHO) has sounded alarm bells after two reported outbreaks of the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 in poultry farms in Odisha and one in a state run farm in East Garo Hills in Meghalaya.

The samples from the two states which were sent to the National High Security Animal Disease Laboratory in Bhopal confirmed that fowls from the poultry farms tested positive for the scientific polymerase chain reaction test and virus isolation test.

BARIPADA: Mass culling of birds continued in Betanati block of Mayurbhanj district on Saturday following a Central directive to prevent the spread of avian influenza that was detected in Bahanada village. Official sources said as many as 8,800 birds had been culled and 1,189 eggs destroyed in 32 villages under this block in the last four days. A Central team consisting of two medical officers and an official from the State visited the affected area to supervise the culling.

Alarm as breakthrough could fall into wrong hands

International scientists on Friday agreed to a temporary two-month halt to controversial research on a bird flu virus that may be easily passed among humans, citing global health concerns.

SHILLONG, Jan 22 – Culling of birds in Williamnagar town of East Garo Hills district and in 35 villages within a 10-km radius of the town has been completed, official sources said today. Culling of birds had started after the Bhopal-based High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL) confirmed H1N1 virus in blood samples of fowls collected from a government-run poultry farm in the district on January 11.