West Bengal: Bird flu scare among humans

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Barrackpore, Jan 20: Fear of bird flu break-out spread in parts of North 24 Parganas, where 15 people, including nine children were reported to developed rashes. Municipality source here today said measles-like rashes that erupted on the skin of 15 people of three families of Navin Palii in Kanchrapara municipal area in North 24 Parganas caused panic here.

While there had not been any official reports on the spread of the infection, Councillor Ira Majumdar said she has reported the matter to Chairman Sankar Basak. Municipal authorities have, however, decided to send a medical team to examine the patients of several houses in Ward No 3, where some patients complained of suffering insect bites from a neighouring house, where the house-owner reared a few hens.

At least, nine residents of the house, where the hens were reared, including three children aged between six months and six years, have also been affected, another victim Jiban Krishna Das, a 38-year old neighour said.

Local physicians, who could not confirm the cause of the rashes, have directed the patients to report to a local hospital, while the owner of the house in question had been advised to kill the hens affected by the insects.

Meanwhile, a veterinary team, from the district headquarters in North 24 Parganas, visited Bilkanda under Ghola police station, where death of some hens were reported on Jan 19.

The medical team has, however, not found any clue as to the reason behind the outbreak of bird flue in that area, official sources said. Similar reports of death of hens from some houses in North Kulberia under Gopalnagar police station came to the district headquarters, source added.

UNI