Bengal Govt. alerts poultry owners against bird flu

Kolkata, Mar 16(UNI) The West Bengal Government today sounded an alert to poultry owners in the state to follow the administrative guidelines on bird flu following a fresh outbreak of the disease in Maharashtra.

''There is no reason to panic. There has been no incidence of avian flu in the state. The administration has taken all precautionary measures to prevent it,'' Animal Resources Secretary Subesh Das said.

Mr Das said two officials from the Veterinary Department would be sent to the high security Animal Diseases Laboratory in Bhopal for special training. As a precautionary measure, the State Government had so far sent 1700 blood samples to Bhopal besides 1300 from the neighbouring states of Jharkhand, Orissa, Sikkim and Assam, but no case of bird flu had been detected, he said.

UNI KDG PC VD DB1906