Over 2.4 lakh birds culled in WB; 258 rapid response teams deployed

New Delhi, Jan 22 (UNI) As per latest information received, a total mortality of 1,13,796 poultry birds has been reported from Birbhum, Dakshin Dinajpur, Murshidabad, Nadia, South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, Burdwan and Bankura districts of West Bengal.

According to an official release issued here today, HSADL, Bhopal has confirmed positive result for Avian Influenza (H5) in samples from Krishnanagar-I and Haringhata blocks of Nadia district, Ktugram, Jamuria and Galsi blocks of Burdwan district and Nalhati-I and Bolpur-Sriniketan blocks of Birbhum district of the state .

A number of samples from Howrah, South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, Hooghly, Kolkata and West Midnapur tested at the HSADL, Bhopal turned a negative result.

Yesterday a total of 258 Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) were deployed for culling, mopping up and surveillance operations.

The maximum number of teams are working in Birbhum (79), followed by Burdwan (60), Murshidabad (51), Dakshin Dinajpur and Nadia (34).

The RRTs have culled a total of 2.42 lakh poultry birds, destroyed 88,252 eggs and about 3000 kgs of feed material upto yesterday.

The joint teams of the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare visiting Jharkhand, Bihar, Orissa, Assam and Meghalaya are continuing their work in these states. A team has also moved to Tripura and Mizoram today.

UNI/BKS KK RAI2034