PARADIP: The district administration on Monday culled around 450 chickens in Sandhkuda and Badapadia areas under Paradip Municipality which are considered the epicentre of H5N1 outbreak. On the day, a Central team also visited the affected areas and found irregularities during culling operation. The team comprising Community Medicine department officials of the Central Government and headed by Leena Bandopadhya visited Sandhkuda, Badapadia and the surrounding areas of Paradip Municipality. The team members interacted with officials of Veterinary and Health departments besides the Municipality for successful culling operation in Paradip.
The Central team found that the personnel engaged in disposal and burial of culled hens are not digging deep holes, thereby giving rise to the possibility of infection. Moreover, entry of locals to the culling site should be restricted to avoid infection. However, the team found that culling was carried out in presence of locals.Further, the team members found that identification of health personnel was not being carried out properly. Personnel, who are part of the rapid response teams, should use mask and adopt other safety measures during culling operation. The Central team advised the district administration to properly medicate the personnel engaged in culling operation and keep them in isolation.
Later, the team members visited the affected areas and sensitised the locals about prevention of bird flu and suggested remedies for the infection. They also screened each of the personnel involved in culling operation. As many as 10 rapid response teams including two surveillance squads have been pressed into service to complete the disinfection drive.
On the other hand, the locals alleged that officials of Animal Husbandry department have failed to create any awareness about the flu outbreak in and around the epicentre and violated the Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Diseases in Animals Act, 2009. The officials are not following the guidelines laid down by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), they claimed.After detection of bird flu in Paradip, carcasses of four crows were found in different areas of Jagatsinghpur Municipality, triggering panic among the locals. Though reports of crow deaths kept coming in from different parts of the district, officials of Animal Husbandry department did not attach much importance to them, sources said.
Contacted, Collector Sachidananada Sahoo said 450 chickens were culled within one km radius of the affected areas. As many as 566 eggs were also destroyed in areas under Paradip Municipality. “Steps are being taken to keep the culling personnel in isolation and under medication. Instruction has been given to dig 3-metre deep holes for burying the culled birds,” Sahoo added.