Thursday, December 15, 2011

Crow death alert in Dhanbad #h5n1 #birdflu

Crow death alert in Dhanbad

The animal husbandry department on Thursday rushed teams headed by veterinarians to different parts of Dhanbad after crow deaths were reported from Dumra, Sijua and Phularitand.

Speaking to The Telegraph, district animal husbandry officer Abhay Prasad Singh said 27 crow deaths have been reported from Dhanbad so far. “This might or might not be due to bird flu but we are not taking any chances. Teams are being sent everywhere to ensure proper disposal of carcasses,” he said.
He added that an intensive awareness programme has also been launched in the district and pamphlets detailing dos and don’ts are being distributed in areas where crow deaths have been reported. A district control room headed by Brahmadeo Prasad Yadav has also been constituted to monitor the situation from Police Line in Hirapur.

According to Singh, one to four crow deaths have been reported from isolated places. On Wednesday, 10 deaths were reported — one from Sindri, one from Jorapokhar, three from Barwaddah, four from Nirsa and one from Dhaiya.
When contacted, Yadav said besides bird flu, various other factors like radiation from mobile phone towers, exposure to cold and other diseases could also be responsible for the crow deaths in Dhanbad.
Explaining the steps being taken, district animal husbandry officer Singh said besides ensuring disposal of carcasses, forest guards were also being trained to deal with the situation. “Training has been provided by two of our master trainers to 40 forest guards, 25 in Rajganj and 15 in Tundi on Wednesday,” Singh said, adding that people were being instructed to not touch any carcasses with bare hands. People were also being also instructed to sprinkle lime over the carcasses and also at the place where they were being buried.
All 20 veterinary hospitals situated around the eight blocks of the district have been put on high alert.
Health department nodal officer for bird flu in the district P.K. Bhagat, who is also the secretary of Red Cross Society of Dhanbad, on the other hand said no instances of bird flu had been reported from anywhere in India but preventive steps have been taken in the district and medicines procured from Ranchi. He added that an isolation ward comprising 10 beds had been prepared at Patliputra Medical College and Hospital.  http://telegraphindia.com/1111216/jsp/jharkhand/story_14888119.jsp

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