Jamshedpur zoo authorities take preventive measures against bird flu

Jamshedpur (Jharkhand), Feb 5 : Authorities are taking preventive measures against bird flu at a zoo in Jamshedpur, citing the city's proximity to the avian influenza affected West Bengal.

Authorities in Tata Steel Zoological Park are carrying out sanitation sprays besides taking other precautions.

"We have taken various precautions regarding cleanliness and sanitation. We burnt the corners of enclosures with blow lamps, sprayed high quality sanitation sprays and also have coated all the corners with limestone powder," said MS Jain, director of the zoological park.

Zoo doctors say that besides not using poultry meat, medicines are being provided to the inmates to enhance their immune system.

"We are not using any poultry product. We are providing the inmates with immune modulators medicines like vitamin C, anti-oxidants to enhance immune system, so that there is no such chance," said Manik Palit, a doctor in the zoological park.

Meanwhile, no suspected human cases of Avian Influenza have been detected in any of the affected Districts of West Bengal.

Jharkhand, Bihar and Assam that share a common border with West Bengal have been instructed to ban and prevent any entry of poultry or poultry related products from West Bengal. Other States have also been put on alert.

Central Rapid Response Teams have been deployed in all the districts. Trained Rapid Response teams from Gujarat and Goa have been deployed to the affected areas. The team from Maharashtra has been assigned the task of reviewing the preparedness in the unaffected districts of Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling and North Dinajpur.

In West Bengal, culling operation is almost complete.

ANI