No bird flu case in humans, assures Centre

Expert teams have fanned out in seven districts of the state 8212; Birbhum, Murshidabad, South Dinajpur, Burdwan, Nadia, Bankura and Malda 8212; where they face a raised target of culling 20 lakh chicken in the next seven days.

The Bird flu scare is looming large over North 24 Parganas district too with reports of chicken deaths pouring in from three areas bordering flu-affected Nadia district.

Sources in the West Bengal Animal Husbandry Department said that the culling target had been raised to 20 lakh chicken after blood samples sent from Malda district tested positive of the bird flu virus on Monday.

Ramadoss said that the screening was conducted within 10 km of the affected areas and all people who live in the villages had been randomly tested by Health Ministry teams.

8220;There is no reason to be concerned about any human cases of bird flu,8221; Ramadoss said, adding 8220;we are vigilant8221;.

The National Institute of Communicable Diseases NICD, which is responsible for carrying out screening, on Tuesday said that all five human samples taken from West Bengal have tested negative.

8220;The samples which were taken from South Dinajpur and Birbhum did not have any clinical symptoms of the disease,8221; said NICD Director Shivlal.

8220;Three samples which had been sent to NICD, New Delhi, had tested negative on Monday and NICD, Kolkata, which tested five samples has confirmed on Tuesday that all of them are negative for the presence of avian influenza,8221; he said.

In Birbhum district, two trucks carrying chicken bound for Jharkhand were detained on Tuesday at Nalhati as the government has banned movement of poultry from bird flu-affected districts, government sources said.

South Dinajpur District Magistrate S Chattapadhyay said that the birds8217; bloods samples sent from Gangarampur to Central laboratories have tested negative, which shows that the disease has not spread to new areas.

He also said that on Monday around 71,000 chickens were culled and 61,000 eggs destroyed.

About Rs 11 lakh has been paid as compensation to the affected traders, the DM said.

A report from Patna said Bihar government has banned import of poultry from neighbouring West Bengal.

8220;We have put a blanket ban on import of birds from West Bengal in the wake of reports of the dreaded H5N1 virus spreading there,8221; Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, who is also holding the portfolio of Animal and Fishery Resources, said.

Modi said the district authorities of Katihar, Purnia, Kishanganj and Araria have been asked not to allow birds from neighbouring West Bengal and keep a close watch on the situation in their districts.