Thursday, January 1, 2009

Post-Flu vigil in Malda villages

Statesman News Service
MALDA, Jan. 1: The animal resources development (ARD) department will start collecting blood samples from 12 January as a part of post Bird Flu surveillance within 3 to 10 km radius from the epicentre of Avian Flu detected at Satgharia village in English Bazaar in December 2008.
The deputy director of ARD in Malda, Mr N K Sit said a team of vets would start collecting blood samples from all villages in English Bazaar and Old Malda following the directive of central government to continue post Bird Flu surveillance. Mr N K Sit claimed that till date several blood samples collected from 15 blocks of Malda district after outbreak of Bird Flu have tested negative.
According to Mr Sit, many villages in English Bazaar have come under special surveillance twice shortly. After Bird Flu outbreak in English Bazaar in March 2008, a total of 900 blood samples were collected from poultry. “Though not a single blood sample was tested positive but unfortunately the virus resurfaced at Satgharia and Sabjipara villages in English Bazaar in December 2008 , nearly 10 km radius from the epicentre state run poultry farm -in English Bazaar town where Avian Flu broke out in March 2008”, he said. Following the instruction the ARD official has planned to visit the Bird Flu affected zone surprisingly to oversee the situation and to urge the people not to rear birds for at least three months in the affected zone within 3 km radius from the last epicentre.

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