Cooch Behar declared bird flu affected district

 

COOCH BEHAR, Jan. 23: Cooch Behar turned into an avian flue affected district. As H5N1 virus was confirmed in samples of some dead chickens at the laboratory at Belgachhia the district administration is in no mood to take any chance. The samples that tested positive of avian flu were collected from Jaridharla and Daribash villages in Dinhata-I block. The area is very close to the Indo-Bangladesh border. Today the district administration declared this district as bird flu affected district.

 

When asked, the district magistrate of Cooch Behar Mr Rajesh Kumar Sinha said following the state government's directive the district administration declared this district as an avian flu affected one. All possible precautionary measures were taken to combat the disease and it's spreading to newer areas. Steps were taken to meet any adverse situation, he said.

 

The district administration will start culling operations from tomorrow. Eighty special teams are ready for committing culling of chickens, the DM said.

 

On the otherhand, animal resources development (ARD) department sources in Cooch Behar said that they got information of birds' death from four blocks out of twelve so far. These are Dinhata-I, Cooch Behar-I, Mathabhanga-I and Mekhliganj.

 

In Haribhanga of Cooch Behar-I bodies of ten migratory birds were recovered yesterday. These birds used to take shelter in that area on tall and old trees. The samples of dead migratory birds were sent for test to Kolkata but test results are yet to confirm the cause of their death by the deadly virus.

 

In Baro-Khalisamari of Mathabhanga-I abnormal death of a few hundred chickens were reported to the ARD personnel yesterday. In Dinhata-I, more chicken deaths were reported from several villages including Jaridharla and Daribash, ARD officials said. This morning they got information from Votebari in Mekhliganj that some chickens have died there. []