Sunday, April 09, 2006
Dead Chickens Spark Bird Flu Scare in Agra
By Brij Khandelwal
Agra: Discovery of dozens of dead chickens in this city has sparked a bird flu scare, with officials sending samples for avian influenza tests at a leading government facility in Bhopal.
The chickens were found lying in a heap in the Transport Nagar neighborhood by early morning joggers Thursday, and the local administration stepped in immediately to ensure that the development did not scare away the hundreds of tourists who visit Agra every day to view the Taj Mahal. "The panic reaction was natural, because Agra is a major tourist centre. A bird flu scare will severely affect the inflow of tourists," said a senior district official.
Animal husbandry department has sent samples of the dead chickens for testing at Bhopal's High Security Animal Disease Laboratory. Officials have also said there was no cause for immediate concern. "The birds probably died of a heat stroke," Chief Veterinary Officer Uday Shankar Gupta told reporters, discounting fears of an "outbreak" of bird flu. "A biryani-seller in Transport Nagar did not take adequate care to protect the chickens from oppressive heat, which killed them," another official said.
But many citizens are not buying the claim of the authorities that the death of the chickens was a one-off affair, and point to the poor state of preparedness in government hospitals.
"With heaps of garbage piled up across the city's thoroughfares, coupled with chocked drains, one wonders how no major outbreak of disease has been reported in Agra," said Vinay Paliwal, an NGO functionary.
Others said that while government officials were vaccinating birds against avian influenza in rural areas, no one was concerned about birds caged in hundreds of illegal poultry farms located in narrow lanes and high-density neighborhoods.
NGO workers pointed out that if adequate precautions were not taken and birds brought from other states were not screened, an outbreak of bird flu was possible.
"With a callous administration and the poor state of health services, this is not just conjecture but a sad reality," said Surendra Sharma, founder president of the local Hotel and Restaurant Association.
Agra: Discovery of dozens of dead chickens in this city has sparked a bird flu scare, with officials sending samples for avian influenza tests at a leading government facility in Bhopal.
The chickens were found lying in a heap in the Transport Nagar neighborhood by early morning joggers Thursday, and the local administration stepped in immediately to ensure that the development did not scare away the hundreds of tourists who visit Agra every day to view the Taj Mahal. "The panic reaction was natural, because Agra is a major tourist centre. A bird flu scare will severely affect the inflow of tourists," said a senior district official.
Animal husbandry department has sent samples of the dead chickens for testing at Bhopal's High Security Animal Disease Laboratory. Officials have also said there was no cause for immediate concern. "The birds probably died of a heat stroke," Chief Veterinary Officer Uday Shankar Gupta told reporters, discounting fears of an "outbreak" of bird flu. "A biryani-seller in Transport Nagar did not take adequate care to protect the chickens from oppressive heat, which killed them," another official said.
But many citizens are not buying the claim of the authorities that the death of the chickens was a one-off affair, and point to the poor state of preparedness in government hospitals.
"With heaps of garbage piled up across the city's thoroughfares, coupled with chocked drains, one wonders how no major outbreak of disease has been reported in Agra," said Vinay Paliwal, an NGO functionary.
Others said that while government officials were vaccinating birds against avian influenza in rural areas, no one was concerned about birds caged in hundreds of illegal poultry farms located in narrow lanes and high-density neighborhoods.
NGO workers pointed out that if adequate precautions were not taken and birds brought from other states were not screened, an outbreak of bird flu was possible.
"With a callous administration and the poor state of health services, this is not just conjecture but a sad reality," said Surendra Sharma, founder president of the local Hotel and Restaurant Association.
# posted by mediabhartiwebsolutions @ 5:47 AM 
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