Kolkata: Bird flu has not been confirmed in any samples of poultry birds from different parts of West Bengal, a senior official said on Thursday, adding that there was no need to panic.
Health Secretary NS Nigam said that the state government is not currently considering any ban on the consumption of poultry products.
"The situation in West Bengal is normal and there is no cause for concern. We have conducted active influenza surveillance. Not a single person has been found affected by the virus," the corporation told reporters.,
"There has been no human-to-human transmission of the disease. The health department is not issuing any advisory on ban on consumption of chicken, eggs and other poultry products," he said.
A total of 30,000 samples collected throughout the year from different parts of West Bengal are tested at the state-run Belgachia Institute of Animal Health and Veterinary Biologicals, the corporation said.
Thirty percent of the samples are sent to the ICAR-National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal for re-testing, he said.
According to the health department, a four-year-old boy from Kaliachak in Malda district was diagnosed with the disease in January, and recovered after treatment.There was another child, he said, who had traveled from the city to Australia in February and after reaching there, he was tested positive for avian influenza or bird flu.
Vivek Kumar, additional chief secretary, Animal Resources Development, said, "Subsequently, we conducted active surveillance of family members and other persons and no one tested positive for the virus. What we can say is that the source of the virus was not Bengal. "
Meanwhile, a team of senior health department officials and representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO) conducted another round of assessment at Kaliachak in Malda on Thursday.
Nigam said, “The team did not find anything based on its surveillance.,
H9N2 bird flu virus is a subtype of avian influenza virus, which is spread by direct contact with infected animals or indirect contact with contaminated environments.
Health Secretary NS Nigam said that the state government is not currently considering any ban on the consumption of poultry products.
"The situation in West Bengal is normal and there is no cause for concern. We have conducted active influenza surveillance. Not a single person has been found affected by the virus," the corporation told reporters.,
"There has been no human-to-human transmission of the disease. The health department is not issuing any advisory on ban on consumption of chicken, eggs and other poultry products," he said.
A total of 30,000 samples collected throughout the year from different parts of West Bengal are tested at the state-run Belgachia Institute of Animal Health and Veterinary Biologicals, the corporation said.
Thirty percent of the samples are sent to the ICAR-National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal for re-testing, he said.
According to the health department, a four-year-old boy from Kaliachak in Malda district was diagnosed with the disease in January, and recovered after treatment.There was another child, he said, who had traveled from the city to Australia in February and after reaching there, he was tested positive for avian influenza or bird flu.
Vivek Kumar, additional chief secretary, Animal Resources Development, said, "Subsequently, we conducted active surveillance of family members and other persons and no one tested positive for the virus. What we can say is that the source of the virus was not Bengal. "
Meanwhile, a team of senior health department officials and representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO) conducted another round of assessment at Kaliachak in Malda on Thursday.
Nigam said, “The team did not find anything based on its surveillance.,
H9N2 bird flu virus is a subtype of avian influenza virus, which is spread by direct contact with infected animals or indirect contact with contaminated environments.
