January 19, 2012

India's Meghalaya culls nearly 5,000 fowls on bird flu control

To be able to control the spread of bird flu, 25 villages of East Garo Hills district in Meghalaya have destroyed more than 4,600 fowls, officials said Wednesday (Jan 18).

"We expect to cross 5,000 today...culling operation is left in only two villages within three kilometres from the epicentre," state's veterinary director L Lyngwa told PTI.

On Tuesday, 1,222 fowls from four villages were culled following strict guidelines from the Centre, he said.

A total of 4,666 fowls were subjected to culling and hygienically disposed off even as more than 1,500 eggs were destroyed in seven days of cleaning operation in East Garo Hills district, including those from the government-run farm where the disease broke a week ago.

Lyngwa was optimistic that culling operation will be over by Wednesday evening.

District administrator Pravin Bakshi said Rapid Response Teams (RRT) will have to stay quarantined together at a designated place in Williamnagar until January 28.

Around 15 temporary toilets, blankets, mattresses, pick-up trucks, food, vehicles and earth movers have been arranged for the culling and mopping operations. The district, with a population density of 122 inhabitants per square kilometre, has a population of 3,17,618 persons as per 2011 census.

Bhopal-based High Security Animal Disease Laboratory has confirmed that blood samples sent was detected with bird-flu on January 11.