Suspect H5N1 Cases in Birbhum West Bengal India
Recombinomics Commentary 00:15
January 16, 2008
The slow response to the outbreak is being blamed for the spread of the disease. A large number of birds have died in Nalhati blocks 1 and 2, Muraroi 1 and 2, Rampurhat 1 and 2, and Mayureshwar. The disease has also spread to Khargram in Murshidabad, bordering Margram.
At Margram, the backyard poultry population is estimated to be around 150,000. Nearly 90 per cent of this stock is dead — dead birds still litter the area though many have been buried.
Two children, who feasted on dead birds 10 days ago, are ill and a health team, led by the Block Medical Officer of Health, visited the Malibagan Para.
The children were identified as Anarul Sheikh (7) and Tumpa Khatun (8). Their father said “all the birds died, we cooked and ate two of them, later the children had high fever.”
The above comments describe the continued spread of H5N1 in the Birbhum district (see satellite map). Earlier reports detailed poultry deaths in 106 villages, including 46 villages in Rampurhat I, 29 villages in Rampurhat II, and 21 villages in Nalhati I. Now dead birds are in all sub-districts and are spilling into bordering regions.
The spread is not surprising. Video of the region showed dead wild birds, including crows, as well as villagers carrying dead birds with no PPEs. Moreover, many media reports indicated villagers were eating the dead birds.
Consequently, suspect cases like the two children described above are not a surprise. Birds have been dying for at least 10 days, and the spread to the government facility in Balurghat in South Dinajpur suggest more outbreaks are likely.
More information on the status of the two children cited above, and the extent of spread would be useful.
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