No Bird Flu threat haunts UP, claims govt

Lucknow, Feb 25 (UNI) Reiterating that there is no single bird flu case in Uttar Pradesh, the government today said a task force had already been set up to fight the epidemic in the state.

''The task force has been set up at the Directorate of Animal Husbandry Department here to check the spread of bird flu,'' UP Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development Minister Avadhpal Singh Yadav said in a written reply to a question in the state assembly.

Besides, well trained Rapid Response Teams have been formed to deal with any emergency.

''The Sero-surveillance work was underway in the state...till now, 5,000 serum samples have been sent for tests to Pune,'' the minister added.

''No case of the epidemic had been detected in the state so far,'' he claimed.

However, among the various other steps to stop the entry of the poultry products from most affected West Bengal, the government has requested the Tourism and Commercial Tax department and Division Rail Manager (Nodal Officer Railways), North Eastern Railways to assure and take the immediate actions.

An awareness programme is on to spread awareness among the people about the bird flu, Mr Yadav wrote adding that arrangements for culling 50,000 birds had also been made.

Besides, the people associated with the poultry industry were being directed on the issue through departmental officers, he informed.

UNI JAS MB BDP KN1759