Health Dept: Take preventive steps to check outbreak of bird flu

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 18 (UNI) In the wake of the Bird Flu outbreak in West Bengal, the Health Department in Kerala has issued necessary orders to all the District Medical Offices (DMOs) and other concerned to take preventive steps to check the menace.

Talking to UNI, Health Secretary K Shylaja today said she had information about the pandemic in December, when she attended an international conference at Delhi.

The meeting, which was attended by representatives and experts in this field from 68 countries had warned that there was a possiblity of Avion Flu world over, she added.

Dr Shylaja said immediately after reaching the State she had sent necessary instructions to all the DMOs to take precautionary measures in this regard.

Since the Health Department alone could not take a decision on checking the menace of bird flu, Health Minister P K Sreemathy had convened a meeting of all the departments connected in the field next week to chalk out future measures, she said.

She said since there was a possiblity of spreading the disease through migratory birds, necessary instructions had been given to all the concerned to keep a vigil whether there were any deaths of migratory birds reported in the State.

Pointing out that lack of cleanliness and overcrowding were the reasons for rapid spread of the disease in poultry farms, she said they had been asked to report any mass perishing of chicken in their farms and to burn the birds before burying it.

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