Published: Thursday, Nov 1, 2012, 15:49 IST
Scientists and workers at the Central Poultry Development Organisation & Training Institute (CPDOTI) in Hsaraghatta near Bangalore on Wednesday have culled an ostrich along with 13,342 ducks 369 emus and destroyed 11,939 eggs.
In an intensified effort to check the spread of the disease to within Hesaraghatta at least 25 rapid response teams have so far also culled 19,235 chickens at the poultry unit as per the revised action plan-2012 guidelines of Government of India.
The sanitisation process of the sheds and pens in which these diseased birds were were housed is in progress, according to a statement issued by Aravinda Ramachandra Jannu, principal secretary, animal husbandry & fisheries department.
Surveillance work in 10-km radius of surveillance zone is in progress and the teams have so far collected 119 serum samples and 119 cloacal samples (samples of opening to intestinal, reproductive and urinary tracts) and submitted them for laboratory investigations. However, no unusual death in birds has been noticed in the surveillance zone or in any part of the State.
The measures also included declaring an area of 1-km radius around as a sanitised zones in which all the birds were planned to be culled. The Centre had confirmed the outbreak of avian influenza at CPDOTI on October 25 when animal husbandry minister Revu Naik Belamagi announced that 3,481 turkeys had died to to the avian flu over the past few weeks which forced the officials to cull 784 others.
Subsequently, 206 deaths among te chicken at the poultry unit and 17 ducks in the duck unit caused more concern, forcing the department officials to send 50 serum and 41 cloacal samples to High Security Animal Disease Laboratory in Bhopal on Sunday, which returned the results the very next day stating that they had tested positive for avian influenza.
Although there is a rapid spread of the disease among the birds, so far there has not been a single case of human infection detected. However, CPDOTI and animal husbandry department officials are yet to be informed about the precise nature of the H5N1 virus that is suspected to have infected the birds. HSADL in Bhopal has not been able to identify whether the virus has been mutated and to what extent.
Considering the rapid spread of the disease among the birds, CPDOTI experts are sure that it is a virus which has high pathogenicity (the power to spread infection).
Over the years, experts globally have learnt that more the mutations in the H5N1 virus, higher is its capability to result in infections in the human populations living in the vicinity of the epicenter of the outbreak.
Keeping vigil
Surveillance is on in 10-km radius of the area and rapid response teams have so far collected 119 serum samples and 119 cloacal samples and submitted them for laboratory investigation.
http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/report_culling-of-birds-still-on-to-stop-disease-spread_1758890
Published: Thursday, Nov 1, 2012, 15:49 IST
Surveillance is on in 10-km radius of the area and rapid response teams have so far collected 119 serum samples and 119 cloacal samples and submitted them for laboratory investigation.
