Govt fully prepared to deal with bird flu outbreak

With the UN body FAO issuing warning on possible resurgence of bird flu in Asia, the Government today said it is fully prepared to deal with any eventuality arising out of the outbreak of avian influenza.

“A few reports have come out in the press mentioning an FAO alert against a new and deadly mutant strain of avian influenza, popularly known as bird flu. The government has taken note of the FAO’s alert and is prepared for any eventuality,” an official statement said here today.

Earlier, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) had warned about a possible resurgence of the highly pathogenic avian influenza amid signs that a mutant strain of the deadly bird flu virus was spreading in Asia and beyond, with risk to the humans.

“The countries where H5N1 is still firmly entrenched — Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia and Vietnam — are likely to face the biggest problems, but no country can consider itself safe,” the FAO Chief Veterinary Officer, Mr Juan Lubroth, had said.

India has successfully handled all outbreaks of bird flu in the country ever since it was detected for the first time in February 2006. The last outbreak of the disease took place during February-March, 2011 in Tripura, the statement said.

Following the prescribed control and containment procedures, India was declared free from the disease with effect from July 4, 2011, it added.

“Government of India has given standing instructions that require state governments to report any outbreak of this disease without delay,” it said.

FAO’s representative in India, Mr Gavin Wall, said that a strong strain of “avian influenza has been detected in West Bengal and Assam in India and Bangladesh and Myanmar, which is surfacing in the winter months’’.

He added that more research was required to understand the strain.

According to High Security Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory Joint Director, Mr S.C. Dubey, the situation is not alarming and the Government is prepared to deal with it.

“We had discovered a new strain of avian influenza during the last outbreak in Tripura. We have the requisite technology to contain it,” Mr Dubey said.

Bird flu surfaces during winter only as the time is congenial for the virus to spread, he said, adding that the virus cannot survive in hot conditions.

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research’s (ICAR) Deputy Director General (Animal Sciences), Mr K.M.L. Pathak, said that regular monitoring is done to check bird flu cases, but as India’s borders are porous it is not possible to check all migratory birds through which the virus can enter into the country.

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