Published Date: 2008-11-27 16:00:36
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Avian influenza (112): India (AS), susp., alert, RFI
Archive Number: 20081127.3740

AVIAN INFLUENZA (112): INDIA (ASSAM), SUSPECTED, ALERT, REQUEST FOR
INFORMATION
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Date: Thu 27 Nov 2008
Source: The Hindu, Indo-Asian News Service (IANS) report [edited]
<http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/099200811271431.htm>


Bird flu scare in Assam, 300 poultry dead
-----------------------------------------
More than 300 poultry birds have died in the past 5 days in some
villages in Assam, fuelling fears of bird flu, officials said [in
Guwahati] Wednesday [26 Nov 2008], adding that a general alert was
sounded in the area.

A veterinary department official said up to 300 chicken and ducks
died an unnatural death in some villages around Hajo, about 35 km (22
mi) west of Assam's main city of Guwahati.

"We have sent samples for laboratory tests to Pune and Bangalore for
confirmation. We don't know for sure if the poultry deaths were due
to bird flu," a veterinary department official said requesting not to
be named.

Authorities Wednesday [26 Nov 2008] imposed a ban on sale of poultry
and have sounded a general alert in about 40 villages in a radius of
5 km (3.1 mi) from the area where the deaths were reported.

"By Thursday [27 Nov 2008] we shall be getting the laboratory test
reports and maybe we have to start the culling process as there has
been large-scale reports of deaths coming in from nearby areas,"
Kamrup district magistrate RC Jain said.

"We have imposed a ban on sale and purchase of poultry and have asked
people in the area not to consume chicken or duck as a precautionary
measure."

A general health alert was also sounded in the area. Teams of experts
are now camping in the area and were contemplating culling birds as a
precautionary measure.

Residents of the area said a large number of birds were falling sick.
"We saw normal birds dying almost instantly without any symptoms. Now
we find some of the poultry in the area a little sick," said Biswa
Das, a villager.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Mary Marshall

[For the location of Assam in northeast India, see the map at
<http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/middle_east_and_asia/india_pol01.jpg>
and the HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map at
<http://healthmap.org/promed/en?g=1278253&v=26,93,5>.

For a summary of the recent H5N1 outbreak in India (West Bengal and
Tripura), which reportedly started on 4 Jan 2008 and was declared as
resolved on 4 Nov 2008 (no new cases since 11 May 2008), see
<http://www.oie.int/wahis/public.php?page=event_summary&reportid=6678>.

Confirmation of avian influenza or otherwise in Assam is requested. - Mod.AS]

See Also

Avian influenza, human (60): India (West Bengal), susp. 20080803.2379
Avian influenza (69): S Korea, India (W Bengal) 20080515.1626
Avian influenza (68): Japan, S.Korea, Viet Nam, India 20080511.1605
Avian influenza (64): India (Tripura) 20080423.1434
Avian influenza (59): India (Tripura), South Korea (N Jeolla) 20080408.1295
Avian influenza (48): China, Bangladesh, India, Viet Nam 20080317.1042
Avian influenza (46): India, Viet Nam, Bangladesh 20080314.1013
Avian influenza (42): India (West Bengal) 20080309.0967
Avian influenza (35): UK (England), Indonesia, India, Bangladesh 20080215.0600
Avian influenza, poultry vs migratory birds (02): Turkey, India 20080205.0462
Avian influenza (17): Iran (Mazandaran), India (West Bengal) - OIE
20080119.0235
Avian influenza (14): India (West Bengal) 20080117.0216
Avian influenza (11): India (West Bengal) 20080115.0193
2007
----
Avian influenza (133): India (Manipur): conf., OIE 20070726.2409
Avian influenza (58): Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia 20070322.1008
........................................arn/mj/jw
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