With the current virus showing no signs of control, the Centre, in a major shift of protocol, directed the West Bengal government to undertake culling in areas where the husbandry department has been ‘suspecting’ an attack of the virus.

“In such a situation, we won’t wait for the confirmation of bird flu. If these deaths are of large numbers, we’ll start culling operation, on a mass basis and will not wait for Bhopal’s report,” Union Agriculture and Food Minister Sharad Pawar observed. The High Security Animal Disease Laboratory in Bhopal, presently tests all samples of birds, suspected to have died from bird flu.

Many migratory birds in the sprawling lake at Santragachi in Howrah district were found dead on Sunday morning while Contai subdisivion in East Midnapore district reported a huge number of poultry deaths.

Even as forest department officials rushed to Santragachi, worry lines deepen. “We are finding it difficult to organise health teams to rush to the affected areas after angry villagers beat up health workers,” a department official said.

The five districts infected with the flu are Birbhum, South Dinajpur, Murshidabad, Nadia and Burdwan.

Ban on chicken
Alarmed by the outbreak of bird flu in West Bengal, the Jharkhand government has decided to seal its border and enforce blank ban on import of all poultry from the state’s market. Overseas, Oman has banned import of all domestic birds, their products and derivatives from India.

`No humans affected’
Chennai, PTI: No human beings had been affected by bird flu in India so far and no cases have been reported, Union Health Minister Dr Anbumani Ramadoss said on Sunday.

“Not even a single case has been reported so far,” he said.

His remarks come in the wake of the outbreak of bird flu in five districts in West Bengal. Since its outbreak on January 15 in Birbhum, the bird flu has spread to western and northern areas of the state. The government has also stepped up culling operations.