By IANS
New Delhi : Culling operations in the avian influenza-hit West Bengal were affected due to the 24-hour shutdown Wednesday, officials here said Thursday. But no new cases of bird flu were reported in the country, they added.
According to the animal husbandry department, there was “slower progress as compared to the earlier days on account of disruption in control and containment activities due to bandh observed in the state” Wednesday.
The strike call was give by the Forward Bloc, a constituent of the state’s ruling Left Front, to protest police firing on its supporters that left six people dead Tuesday.
As compared to Tuesday when an estimated 63,710 birds were culled, only 11,820 were slaughtered Wednesday, animal husbandry department officials said.
A total of 3.59 million birds have been culled in the state since the bird flu outbreak was confirmed Jan 15. The virus was initially detected in two districts but has since spread to 13 of its 19 districts.
The officials said no new cases of avian influenza have been reported from the country.
The samples of birds sent from West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh to the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL) in Bhopal showed no presence of the virus, they said.
About 79 birds were found dead due to the virus in North 24-Parganas, South 24-Parganas and Murshidabad districts of West Bengal Wednesday. This takes the total mortality of birds to 132,990 in the country.
A total of 86 rapid response teams have been engaged, which completed culling of 1.18 million birds. This took the culling so far to 3.59 million in West Bengal, they said.
Assam and Bihar have already started culling on a central government directive to slaughter birds in a five-kilometre belt along the border with West Bengal as a preventive measure.
A total of 34,423 birds have already been culled in Assam against a targeted 89,254 birds, officials said.
But Jharkhand and Orissa, which also share with West Bengal, were yet to begin culling.
Jharkhand first wants to identify areas that are more vulnerable before starting culling and Orissa’s plan of action is still awaited, the officials said.