Commentary
Calcutta
Issues
H5N1
Alert
Recombinomics Commentary
22:26
December 9, 2008
“A general alert has been issued about any unnatural symptoms or deaths of migratory birds or poultry,” health services director Sanchita Bakshi said on Tuesday.
The animal resources development department has asked the city zoo and forest department to keep vigil on migratory birds. “We have asked the forest department to keep an eye on migratory birds that flock the zoo as well as lakes in and around the city,” said animal resources development minister Anisur Rehman.
Experts said migratory birds — hundreds of them flock around the zoo and lakes in Santragachhi and other water bodies — are the most common carriers of the avian flu virus.
The above comments describe an H5N1 alert issued by Calcutta and the rest of West Bengal due to the rapid spread of H5N1 in Assam (see updated map). Confirmed H5N1 or unnatural bird deaths have been reported in seven Assam districts (Kamrup rural, Kamrup metro, Barpeta, Nalbari, Baksa, Bongaigaon, and Chirang). Recent reports of deaths in Bongaigaon and Chirang point toward a wild bird source based on the vicinity to Manas Wildlife Sanctuary and large number of lakes and rivers in Assam.
Alerts have also been issued in Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura and at least one media report has described unnatural bird deaths in Mizoram and Tripura. In addition, Bangladesh has reported H5N1 (see satellite map).
Last season H5N1 was widespread in West Bengal and Bangladesh and was subsequently confirmed in Tripura. However, unnatural bird deaths or culling was extended to a large number of Indian districts adjacent to West Bengal and Bangladesh, including Assam (see map here here here).
However, this season the outbreaks have been reported earlier, and the spread in Assam has been dramatic.
Additional spread is expected..
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