Bird flu: PM asks Animal Husbandry Dept to prevent epidemic

Amid bird flu scare in West Bengal and Assam, a concerned Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today directed the Animal Husbandry Department to take steps, in coordination with the state governments, to prevent the outbreak of an epidemic.

The prime minister has expressed concern over bird flu in Assam and West Bengal, PMO sources said in Delhi.

They said Singh asked the Animal Husbandry Department to keep a close watch on the situation and to be in constant touch with state governments.

The prime minister directed the department to closely monitor the situation to prevent any outbreak even though the incidence is restricted to a few villages, the sources said.

The directive comes after bird flu, or Avian influenza, was confirmed in Nadia district in West Bengal.

The government has ordered immediate culling of birds and destruction of eggs and feed material to control the spread of the disease.

The West Bengal government has been asked to furnish a daily report on the control and containment operations to the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries.

The Centre has advised ban on movement of poultry and products in the infected area/closure of poultry and egg markets and shops within a radius of 10km from the infected site.

Ban on movement of farm personnel, restricting access to wild and stray birds, restricting access to the infected premises, destruction of birds, disposal of dead birds and infected materials have also been recommended.