April 11, 2008

India suspects smuggled poultry as source of bird flu

Aside from migratory birds, India now has a new suspect for the source of its recent bird flu outbreak in Tripura and that is smuggled poultry from Bangladesh.

The NIV experts have found migratory birds to be a source of bird flu but smuggled poultry from Bangladesh poultry could be responsible as well, according to a senior government official, who added that the situation requires further investigation and cooperation from Bangladesh is needed.

However, Bangladesh has so far refused cooperation as they reject sharing important information, including the gene sequencing of the bird flu virus, probing the foreign secretary of India to request intervention from the Indian high commissioner in Dhaka.

The foreign secretary had spoken to Bangladesh officials this week and they are currently awaiting a reply from the Bangladeshi counterparts.

The sealing of borders had not deterred illegal poultry trade as traffic through the long land border is common and virus does not know borders, according to officials.

Officials had initially suspected Bangladesh as the source of the bird flu outbreaks in West Bengal and Manipur, although NIV experts later concluded that migratory birds from China and Sibera were responsible instead.

With the lack of Bangladeshi cooperation, it is suspected that the virus might be spreading through smuggled poultry from Bangladesh, said Indian officials.

Scientists studying on the virus noted that each time a bird flu outbreak happens in India, the strains are found to be different. Bird flu samples from Tripura have arrived and NIV is now working to find out its strain.