Dead Wild Birds in Kolkata Raise H5N1 Concerns in India
Recombinomics Commentary 14:56
January 18, 2008
Dead birds --- crows and owls --- were found in Kolkata's southern and eastern parts today causing fresh fears as a civic team moved around the metropolis to collect bird carcasses.
The above comments on dead wild birds in Calcutta are cause for concern. Large numbers of dead crows were seen in initial video reports of H5N1 in Birbhum and media reports noted that owls and pigeons also died. Dead poultry in adjacent Murshidabad were also associated with dead wild birds, including crows and hawks, which were also linked to outbreaks in South Dinajpur.
Similarly, excess poultry deaths have been noted in multiple districts, including South 24 Parganas, which is south of Kolkata (see satellite map). Therefore, the reports of dead crows and owls in Kolkata raise concerns that H5N1 has spread along the length of the West Bengal / Bangladesh border.
Bangladesh has been reporting daily outbreaks of H5N1 including locations in southern Bangladesh, supporting extensive spread of H5N1 in both countries.
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