High-level Team from Centre to Review Bird Flu Situation in Kolkata

Union Health Ministry has constituted a high-level team to review the bird flu situation in Kolkata, which is expected to start functioning from today.

As many as 55 teams of the State Animal Resources Development Department have already been deployed in around 105 villages of the Birbhum district to check further spread of bird flu.

The deadly disease broke out in Birbhum and South Dinajpur districts of West Bengal and later spread to some new areas in the adjoining Murshidabad district.

State Animal Resources Development Minister Anisur Rahaman said that over 3.5 lakh birds in Birbhum and 26,000 in South Dinajpur District were culled on Wednesday.

The Centre has also asked the state government to provide compensation to the farmers whose birds have been culled.

Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said last evening that there were no reports of human beings infected with bird flu, and claimed that the situation was under control.

West Bengal has sealed a stretch of its border with Bangladesh, which has been fighting to contain the spread of bird flu since March last year.

Meanwhile, North Eastern states have also sounded an alert and sealed their borders to prevent entry of infected birds.

Source-ANI
SRM/V