Central team takes stock of bird flu in Kerang

Khurda: A three-member Central team today visited Kerang village in Khurda district to review the dimension of bird flu.

The team, after a meeting with district collector Niranjan Sahu, went to the Primary Health Centre (PHC) at Kerang village and examined its healthcare facilities.

The team later directed the Health officials to engage Health Workers to conduct door-to-door survey and note down the details of any ailment relating to cold, cough and fever and provide medicines to the patients.

Meanwhile, taking note of the non-cooperation of the people in not handing over poultry to the Rapid Response teams, the district administration today decided to conduct raid on each house in the village with the help of local police.

“Yesterday, we had culled 400 poultry. Today we have culled only 170 poultry as the villagers are not willing to hand over their poultry to us. As a result, the five Rapid Response teams have returned empty handed as the villagers did not hand over their poultry to them. Besides, the police, Forest staff and the Veterinary officials also searched the nearby forests expecting that the villagers might have hidden the poultry. But they were not successful. Hence taking note of the non-cooperation of the villagers, we started collecting poultry from the houses of the villages with the help of the police with a hope that the villagers would hand over their poultry without resistance. In spite of this, if they will not hand over the poultry, we will forcibly collect the poultry and cull them without giving them any compensation,” Chief District Veterinary Officer (CDVO), Manas Mohapatra told media persons.

Talking about the situation in the village, Joint Director, Public Health Department, Odisha and one of the members of the Central team, Dr Bikas Patnaik said till now not a single person of the village has been afflicted with the virus. “We are trying our best to keep the virus away from the people and efforts are on in this regard,” he added.

Khurda collector Niranjan Sahu said the district administration has requested the people of Kerang village to hand over their poultry to the district administration at the earliest possible because the virus will seriously affect the children and elderly persons once they get infected.

Asked whether the outbreak of bird flu has occurred in other areas of the state, commissioner-cum-secretary, Fisheries and Animal Resources Development, Bishnupada Sethi said except Kerang village, there is no bird flu occurrence in any parts of the state.

Stating that his department has kept a strict vigil and intensified surveillance across the state, he said instructions have been given to the district Veterinary officers to take necessary steps in giving Ranikhet vaccines to all fowls.