# 2541
The reporting out of India often suffers from an excess of hyperbole, but even discounting some of the more breathless prose, the situation in Assam is obviously serious.
Last year, slow action by the government in West Bengal allowed a bird flu outbreak to spread widely across the region, resulting in the eventual culling of millions of birds in January and February.
Authorities are obviously anxious to avoid a repeat of the last outbreak.
Concerns continue over reports of 150-250 people (reports vary) in the region with flu-like symptoms. Given the potential of the virus jumping from birds to humans, any sign of respiratory illness or fever in a culling area is worthy of concern.
These patients are being monitored, and some -presumably - are being tested for the H5N1 virus. Thus far, there is no indication that any of these people are suffering from H5N1 infection.
A Hat tip to the indefatigable Dutchy on Flutrackers for this report from the Sakaal Times.
Bird flu out of control in Assam
UNI
Saturday, December 13th, 2008 AT 1:12 PM
GUWAHATI: Bird flu is out of control in Assam and the state has sent an urgent SOS to the Centre for help in terms of finance, technology and manpower to stop further spread of almost pandemic avian flu putting human beings to high risk of acquiring the virus.
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi late on Friday night summoned an emergency meeting of his crack team of bureaucrats and reviewed the whole situation as almost the entire Brahmaputra valley was in the grip of the avian flu.
“It is getting very serious. We have gone all out but the way it was spreading, it will be very difficult to manage,” the Chief Minister said to his top bureaucrats, who were summoned to his residence to formulate a combat strategy.
Union Agriculture Secretary J Gopalkumaran has flown in to oversee the culling operation as the state machinery was racing against time to fight the disease.
More than 2.5 lakh chickens were already culled but it was decided at the meeting to cull the entire bird stock of the Brahmaputra valley to get rid of the crisis as the H5N1 virus was notorious to spread under 20 degrees Centigrade.
“With temperature continuing to be lower for the month or so, it has become more important to see that bird flu is stopped now” said state Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma, who also attended the crucial meeting.
The possibility of human infection in any of the North East states could also not be ruled out as the bird flu virus was reportedly brought in by migratory birds, which seek home all over the region.
The government had proved ill-equipped to check its further spread and is now alarmed at any possibility of human infection, with Dr Sharma admitting, “If it transmits to human beings, we don't have infrastructure to meet the crisis.”
