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After a slow start, authorities in India appear to be moving aggressively to eradicate the H5N1 virus from poultry in Manipur. A new round of culling is planned, and medical checkups have been conducted on thousands of people in the vicinity.
Fresh culling proposed in Manipur, 300 people under supervision
Wednesday August 1 2007 16:50 ISTIANS
IMPHAL/NEW DELHI: Nearly 200,000 poultry have been culled in Manipur in the drive against bird flu and authorities have decided to begin a second round. Health officials on Wednesday said over 300 people are under special medical supervision though no human has contracted the disease so far.
The first phase of culling is likely to end on Thursday and the second one is to stamp out birds from backyard farms.
"We had identified 86 sectors for the culling operation and expect to finish the task by Thursday. We would begin a second round of operation immediately to ensure there are no poultry left in the area," K Gopal, nodal officer of the Animal Disease Control Programme in Manipur, told IANS.
The culling began last week in a five km radius around the farm at Chenngmeirong near Imphal where the deaths were originally reported. There are an estimated 800 poultry farms in the area.
About 34 Rapid Response Teams with five members in each group led by a veterinarian are involved in the culling as laboratory tests earlier confirmed the dead birds had H5NI strains, which are highly pathogenic in nature.
"We shall now begin a massive cleaning and disinfecting drive in the area before taking up the second round of culling operation," Gopal said. There have been no fresh reports of the viral disease spreading to other parts of the state.
Health officials said there were no reports of humans contracting the virus although a massive surveillance campaign was on to ensure safety of the locals. Over 200,000 people have gone through health checkups so far.
At least 334 people, including 171 cullers, have been put under special medical supervision, said health ministry officials in New Delhi.
"As of now, 171 cullers are under the cover of Tamiflu (a precautionary medicine) and their health status is being monitored," an official statement said.
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