April 17, 2008

West Bengal continues struggle with bird flu
 

Outbreaks of H5N1 bird flu in West Bengal have not yet been contained, according to a senior health official on Wednesday.

This is in contrast to the statement that animal resources minister Anisur Rahaman had made back in February, saying that officials considered the outbreak to be under control.

West Bengal is an area of concern due to regular outbreaks, said health secretary Naresh Dayal.

Outbreaks in West Bengal involve backyard poultry, making it hard to control, said Dayal. Health workers have not been able to depopulate the infected areas of birds, he added, but did not give details.

West Bengal confirmed bird flu infection back in January, and the state went on to cull nearly four million birds to contain the disease.

Tripura, which also borders Bangladesh, reported of a H5N1 outbreak in poultry in early April. However, Dayal said the virus was tested positive in only one duck sample while the chicken samples were tested negative.