Thirty six lakh birds culled in West Bengal

New Delhi, Feb 8 (UNI) The bird flu epidemic in West Bengal is under control with no further reports from the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory, Bhopal of any sample testing positive from any part of the country, am official report said here today.

A total of 158 Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) were engaged (39 for culling, 41 for survelliance/mopping and 78 for disinfection and sanitisation), which completed culling of 22,177 birds on February 7, taking the cumulative figure to 36.15 lakh in West Bengal.

The latest position of destruction of eggs and feed carried out till 07.02.2008 are 14,84,804 and 79,946 kg respectively, the report added.

Unusual mortality of only 106 birds on February 7 was reported from North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas and Nadia districts. This takes the cumulative mortality of 1,33,096 poultry birds which has been reported from Birbhum, Dakshin Dinajpur, Murshidabad, Nadia, South 24 Parganas, Burdwan, Bankura, Hooghly, Malda, Coochbehar, Purulia, Howrah and North 24 Parganas districts of West Bengal.

Preventive culling operations are progressing very well in Assam where a total of 47,548 birds, out of a target of 89,254 birds, have already been culled. The culling target in Bihar is of 4.70 lakh birds and the numbers culled so far is 31,667. Jharkhand is still engaged in the process of identifying priority areas for culling.

Orissa's plan of action is awarited.

The rates of compensation payable for forced culling of birds have been revised. While earlier the rates were prescribed only for chicken, now these have been prescribed for all the poultry species reared in the country.

UNI JSS VD RAI1907