Bird flu containment operation on in Tripura, West Bengal

New Delhi, Apr 9 (UNI) The government is monitoring situation in the bird flu-affected area of Tripura where active house-to-house surveillance has been started, but no human cases of the disease have been reported from West Bengal or Tripura where the disease has been notified.

The Surveillance has been completed in three Km area around village Mohanpur in Salema block of Dhalai district and population of 1640 has been covered after the notification of the disease outbreak on April 7. No cases with fever/URI have been identified in the surveyed population, an official release said here today.

On getting the information of unusual poultry deaths, Central Rapid Response Team from Union Health Ministry has reached Tripura.

It has also supplied 500 Personal Protective Equipment, 200 N-95 masks, 5000 capsules of Tamiflu and 2 ventilators.

Meanwhile, in West Bengal's Nadia district, population of 63,902 has been covered. Five cases of fever/URI have been identified in the community, but none of them had exposure to infected poultry.

About 145 animal Health Workers involved in containment operations are under medical supervision and chemoprophylaxis. The disease outbreak was notified in the district on April 4 in Mandalpukur and Kalitala villages of Ranaghat II block.

In Jalpaiguri district, a population of 29253 has been covered.

Six cases of fever/URI have been identified in the community, but none of them had exposure to infected poultry. In 3-10 Km area, a population of 94640 has been covered. About 103 cases of fever/URI have been identified in the community, but none of them had exposure to infected poultry. As many as 74 cases of fever/URI have been reported in the hospital of whom three cases were admitted in the hospital. However, none of them were earlier exposed to poultry.

Adequate stock of Oseltamivir, personal protective equipment are available with the State/district authorities.

UNI AJ PK AS1443