Loss due to Bird Flu psychosis put at Rs 3000 cr

Visakhapatnam, Mar 3 (UNI) The fear psychosis about the avian influenza or Bird Flu H5N1 virus has caused an economic loss to the tune of Rs 3000 crore to the Indian poultry industry and Rs 700 crore in Andhra Pradesh alone, National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC) Zonal Chairman R Varadaraju said here today.

Speaking to the media, he stressed on the need to create awareness among the public who did not know much about bird flu and its consequences. He claimed there no traces of avian influenza affecting humans in India.

''A sort of panic has been created among the public. They have stopped consuming chicken and eggs resulting in great losses to industry and the people depending on it on a large scale.'' Saying ducks and pigs were more vulnerable to H5N1, he said the virus was initially traced in underdeveloped countries like Vietnam in which poultry farms were not maintained in a scientific manner and ducks, pigs and chicken were grown in same premises.

Poultry farms in India were well maintained using necessary bio security measures.

Animal Husbandry Joint Director Krishna Murthy said samples collected from poultry farms all over Andhra Pradesh had been sent to the high security Animal Diseases Laboratory in Bhopal and were found be negative for the virus. He also confirmed the state was free from bird flu.

The state government was taking all the precautionary measures and had also stopped interstate poultry transport, he added.

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