The Hindu Business Line : Bengal bird flu: Preliminary tests indicate H5N1 strain presence

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Bengal bird flu: Preliminary tests indicate H5N1 strain presence

Also suggest N1 sub-type, but no final confirmation yet

“Farmers are being compensated at the rate of Rs 40 for each layer bird culled, Rs 30 in case of broilers, Rs 10 for chicks and Rs 6 for each kg of feed that could be contaminated. We expect the culling requirement at about 3.5 lakh birds, though we are fully prepared for 15 lakh.”

Our Bureau

New Delhi, Jan 16

Preliminary rapid tests of the samples of dead birds from poultry farms in Birbhum and South Dinajpur districts of West Bengal indicate the prevalence of the deadly ‘H5N1’ sub-type of the avian influenza (AI) virus.

“The High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL) in Bhopal has tested one sample each from the two districts as positive for the H5 AI strain. Preliminary rapid tests also suggest the N1 sub-type, but we have no final confirmation on that part yet. The final report to establish the N-typing (whether it is N1, N2, N3, etc) of the virus would take 5-6 days”, the Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying & Fisheries, Dr Pradeep Kumar, told presspersons here on Wednesday.

Seems localised problem

The H5N1 subtype, unlike other strains of the AI virus, is known to cause mortality not just to poultry, but even to human beings having physical contact with the infected birds. Scientists also warn of a scenario in future, where the H5N1 sub-type may mutate or re-assort into a strain capable of human-to-human transmission.

Dr Kumar said that as of now the problem seems to be localised, with 54,402 poultry birds reported dead so far in five block and one municipality of Birbhum and 266 in a State Government-owned farm at Bolurghat, South Dinajpur.

Birds deaths report

In addition, there has been 1,000-odd bird deaths reported from three villages of Khargaon block in the adjoining Murshidabad district, though there is no confirmation of it being due to the H5 AI strain at all.

“We are taking all precautions and culling of birds in the affected areas has started since this morning. Farmers are being compensated at the rate of Rs 40 for each layer bird culled, Rs 30 in case of broilers, Rs 10 for chicks and Rs 6 for each kg of feed that could be contaminated”, he stated, adding “we expect the culling requirement at about 3.5 lakh birds, though we are fully prepared for 15 lakh”.

Tamiflu

The Secretary also claimed that the Government had sufficient stocks of ‘Tamiflu’ (oseltamivir phosphate), the only drug said to be effective against the deadly virus attack on humans. He, however, refused to quantify how much of stockpiles were available with the agencies concerned.

The latest outbreak comes ironically just a couple of months after the country was officially, on November 7, declared as being free from AI, which was even notified to the Office International des Epizooties (OIE, or the World Organisation of Animal Health).

This came after the last outbreak of the virus was reported in a village of Manipur’s East Imphal district. The authorities were successful in confining the disease to the village and ensure it did not spread further.

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