14. BIRD FLU - PREPAREDNESS

Bird Flu virus or H5N1 virus is spreading very fast across the whole world. The deadly strain of avian influenza, or bird flu, has claimed nearly 100 lives in Asia and has migrated into parts of Africa, the Middle East and Europe.

The disease is highly infectious in birds but does not, so far, spread easily between humans. The fear is it could soon mutate into a form that can infect human being and spread easily among human population causing pandemic.

Rapid elimination of the H5N1 virus among infected birds and other animals is essential to preventing a major outbreak.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that infected flocks of chickens and other birds be killed in order to help prevent further and reduce possibility of human infection.  

However, strict safety measures must be taken to prevent exposure of the virus among workers involved in culling.

"Haryana State is free from Bird Flu. However, keeping in view the spreading of the disease very fast across the world, adequate measures have been initiated. The department has organized conferences on Avian Influenza at all the four divisional headquarters on dated 4/8/06 & 9/8/06. Senior officers from the district administration, Animal Husbandry & Dairying Department, and other line departments like Forest, Health, PWD (B&R), Public Health, Local Bodies etc. & Poultry breeders of concerned districts participated in these conferences. There is no reason to be scare of the disease and state is fully prepared for undertaking the control & containment operations.

Haryana is following the action plan prepared by Government of India for State Animal Husbandry Departments for the prevention of this highly infectious disease. For detailed Action Plan prepared by Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Government of India, its website www.dahd.nic.in can be logged on. All field functionaries in the state have been fully trained & retrained in control and containment operations.