'No need to fear human infection from bird flu'

Kolkata: A senior official on Saturday allayed fears of human infection in avian-flu hit West Bengal despite a health worker remaining under surveillance.

Authorities have culled over 2.7 million birds in 13 affected districts over the last few days.

"The man who fell sick after returning from culling at Rampurhat [Birbhum district] is under special observation at hospital. His samples have been sent for tests. But so far we have not found anything to suggest he is infected," Health Official R.S. Shukla said.

The health worker, Subhas Barui, a resident of Janka village in East Midnapore, was taken ill on January 30. He was admitted to the isolation ward at Tomluk Hospital, 125 kilometres from Kolkata.

"There are reports he had not taken the Tamiflu tablets, which is unlikely to be true. All cullers take the medicine," Shukla said.

Culling

Shukla described as incorrect reports of human infection. "No one has been quarantined. There is only routine surveillance on the people engaged in culling operations. Many of them are falling sick due to the intense cold.

"We are maintaining records of people falling sick. If there is anything indicative of human infection, we will take all necessary measures. But so far all 18 tests have proved negative," Shukla said.

In West Bengal, panic is often the buzzword. Overzealous workers at a poultry farm in north Bengal's Jalpaiguri district culled their chickens without informing the authorities.

Animal Resource Development Minister Anisur Rahman said culling was completed in most of the affected districts and the situation was under control.

Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) chief medical officer Deb Dwaipayan Chattopadhyay said at least a dozen farms had been allowed to sell poultry products in the city. He asked people to consume chicken without worry.

A report of a possible bird flu outbreak in North 24 Parganas' Baduria area is yet to be confirmed.

Earlier, Rahman said all poultry farmers and egg sellers would be compensated and each family losing birds to culling or deaths from the H5N1 virus would be given Rs500 (Dh47). Bird flu was confirmed in West Bengal on January 15.