H5N1 Spread to Fourteenth West Bengal District
Recombinomics Commentary 20:15
January 29, 2008
North 24 Parganas Basirsat SD Baduria Block Salua village of Chatra Gram Panchayat
The above location of culled areas indicates H5N1 has been reported in the fourteenth of the nineteen West Bengal districts (see satellite map here and here). This location is about 20 miles to the west of Calcutta, which increases the number of Calcutta suburbs which have excessive poultry deaths due to H5N1 infections. The location of this cull, near the Bangladesh border, is not a surprise. Both countries have been reporting new outbreaks almost daily.
The level of testing in West Bengal remains low. Some media reports indicate the above cull may just be linked to excessive poultry deaths, signaling less reliance and use of H5N1 confirmatory tests.
The recent reports of alerts and excessive poultry deaths to the north, including a confirmed outbreak in southern Tibet, suggests more reports of H5N1 or excessive poultry deaths in West Bengal and neighboring districts or countries will continue.
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