Indian border states on alert to thwart avian flu

An outbreak of bird flu in Burma and Bangladesh has prompted India's Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to direct its northeast border states to monitor their areas bordering the two neighbouring countries. Trans-border movement of livestock has been banned.

The Health Ministry directive has been conveyed through the respective veterinary and animal husbandry departments of the states of Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram and Meghalaya, government officials in Manipur said on Friday.

"The higher ups in the military, security forces and other concerned departments have been asked to monitor illegal trans-border movement of livestock including, poultry, its products, and pigs from Myanmar into the state" says Th Dorendro, Director, Manipur Veterinary and Animal Husbandry department.

Other government departments like Home, Health, Forest and Wildlife, District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) and Finance have been asked to take active roles in executing the necessary preparatory tasks as precautionary measures to contain the disease.

Manipur Chief Secretary Jarnail Singh had even issued an office memorandum to form a monitoring committee on April 12 where it directed the Finance Department to arrange funds required to control and contain avian influenza in Manipur.

Similarly the State Veterinary Department in Nagaland is undertaking an action plan to prevent and control the disease. The virus is sweeping Bangladesh and Burma.

The department has solicited people's cooperation in conducting sero-surveillance work and other necessary steps to fight the disease in the event of an outbreak in Nagaland.

Authorities have started awareness campaigns at regular intervals by distributing information leaflets and making announcements in the local media. Attention is being given to districts bordering Burma.

"Villagers are advised not to import poultry and pigs from Myanmar as a precautionary measure," a government official said over telephone from Kohima.

However in the case of Meghalaya, Deputy Commissioners' of districts along the border have been instructed to be more vigilant and the Indian Border Security Force has been asked to assist district administrations in preventing smuggling of chicken and poultry products into the state.

According to A Kabir, Deputy Director (Administration), Meghalaya State Health Services, was in constant touch with the national institute of communicable diseases as well as the Union Health Ministry.

"So far no case of the disease has been detected in our region as all the tests results are negative," Dorendra said. A total of 1,472 Avian Sero samples including migratory birds collected in the past couple of months from across the state tested negative in Manipur.

The situation, as of now, does not warrant panic, nonetheless, a ban on import of livestock especially chicken and eggs from Burma through the border town of Moreh has been put in place as a preventive measure against bird flu, Dr Rajendra, a veterinary expert said.

Earlier these samples were sent to an outstation laboratory like High Security Risk Animal Disease Laboratory in Bhopal for necessary tests, but now the doctors are going regularly with the samples by air for immediate test results.

Meanwhile, Meghalaya is on alert in Khasi and Jaintia hills bordering Bangladesh following advice and communication from the Union Health Ministry, New Delhi and Indian High Commission in, Dhaka.

Source : mizzima.com