#1541
West Bengal's attempts to contain their bird flu outbreak have proved inadequate thus far, hence their call today for `all possible help' from the Indian Federal government.
Heavy rains for the past 3 days have bogged down the culling operation, while villagers continue to hide their chickens from the culling teams. There have been reports of violence by villagers against the cullers, and some teams are being escorted by the local police for their protection.
India apparently waited until the crisis had fulminated before teaching public awareness of the signs and dangers of bird flu, so many people have either yet to get that message, or simply don't believe it.
There are reports of people eating sick or dead birds, and of children playing with dead chickens. Anisur Rahaman, the State's Animal Resource Minister, sums up the dangers this way in the AFP report below:
India has not had any human cases of bird flu. But Rahaman said he feared the disease would spread to humans with hundreds of people reporting flu symptoms.
Meanwhile, Bird flu, despite government assurances two days ago to the contrary, is knocking on Kolkata's (Calcutta's) door.
From all appearances, West Bengal truly needs all the help it can get.
This story filed by AFT is on the Khaleej Times.
Bird flu: Indian state asks for “all possible help”
(AFP)
26 January 2008
KOLKATA - The Indian state of West Bengal, battling the country’s worst outbreak of deadly bird flu, appealed on Saturday to the federal government to send “all possible help to defeat” the virus.
The call by state animal resources minister Anisur Rahaman came as authorities struggled to stop the disease spreading beyond the 12 out of 19 state districts already affected.
“We have to control the disease immediately as the deadly H5N1 virus has been spreading fast,” Rahaman said, adding “avian flu is knocking on the doors of Kolkata,” the eastern state’s congested capital of 13.5 million people.
“I’m urging the federal government to send all possible help to defeat the virus before it affects the humans,” he told AFP.
New Delhi has already sent some medical teams and other assistance to the state.
Three days of heavy rains have held up efforts to slaughter poultry, turning some rural dirt roads into muddy rivers and making it impossible for health teams to reach chicken farms in the poverty-ridden state.
Rahaman said he was deeply concerned by reports some villagers in rural areas were eating slaughtered chickens.
“We don’t understand why people do not understand the dangers of the disease despite repeated warnings,” he said, adding children were still playing with chickens.
