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| Science & Technology |
| Cows Fall Sick And Die In 12 Hours In West Bengal |
| 2008-01-28 |
| (via Pandemic Flu Information Forum) The death of 17 cows since Saturday night triggered panic at some West Midnapore villages. With some backyard poultries falling prey to deadly H5N1 virus at a village in Debra block of the district, the villagers of Rajarbagan, Bisripat, Pathra, Hatihalka and Gobindopur are scared that now the avian influenza have affected their cattle. The samples have been sent for tests to a Kolkata laboratory. The district officials,however, feel that the cattle could have been affected by anthrax. The villagers got worried as several goats and hens were also found dead at the same time. "The cows fell sick and died within 12 hours. We could not even take them to the animal husbandry office for a check up. With the bird flu having spread to these parts, we are worried that the cattles could also get affected," said Umed Mallick, a resident of Hatihalka village. Himanshu Pradhan, the local livestock development officer said that the possibility of anthrax could not be ruled out. "The primary symptoms resemble that of anthrax. The serum and blood samples have been sent for tests," Pradhan said. Though the avian influenza strain is known to affect animals like pigs, there are so far no indications of the virus having affected any other animal. "Whenever we received information about any animals like goats having died in recent times, samples have been sent for tests. So far there is no indication to confirm that the avian influenza has been transmitted to any other animal," said Anisur Rahman, state animal resources development minister. Be it anthrax or bird flu, the villagers are a worried lot. "The government should do something for us," said Moinuddin Khan, a villager. Chicken and wild birds, then goats, then fish, and now cows. |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #5 Sounds like Anthrax, which is not as rare as you might think: "As of August 10, 2006, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has reported 644 dead animals on 136 farms in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, most of these cattle." http://microbiology.suite101.com/article.cfm/anthrax_and_cattle |
| Posted by: Darrell 2008-01-28 11:13 |
| #4 Bengali's are some of the most brainless of the primitive tribal/village folks in India. Everyone of them I have encountered or interacted with could not have an IQ higher than 55 or 60. They're fiercely protective of their own belongings, but will steal you blind, believing that if they can steal it, they deserve it. Scum...every last one of them. Other Indian ethnic groups call them bongs. Never could get a good answer as to why. |
| Posted by: Caesar Whaiger6641 2008-01-28 10:43 |
| #3 Pets are very problematic. The disease is known to attack both dogs and cats, which threaten to become a major vector in the west, by people who cannot abide to part with their beloved animals. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2008-01-28 07:54 |
| #2 Veterinary staff in West Bengal are capturing chickens in night-time raids on the backyards of homes to surprise villagers unwilling to part with their poultry as an outbreak of bird flu spread. Meanwhile, the United Sates has told the Indian authorities that they are ready to help them with all kind of assistance to tackle the bird flu menace. Bird flu has spread to 13 of West Bengal's 19 districts, with samples of dead chickens testing positive in two new districts, officials said on Monday. Experts fear the H5N1 strain could mutate into a form easily transmitted from person to person, leading to a pandemic, but there have been no reported human infections in India yet. "It is very difficult to contain the virus among backyard poultry as villagers hide their chickens and even smuggle it to homes of distant relatives," said Anisur Rahaman, WBÂ’s Animal Resources Minister. Officials said they were worried about the disease spreading to the crowded state capital, Kolkata, after bird flu hit the South 24 Parganas district on Sunday, only 20 km away from the city. Surveillance was in place to stop infected poultry from being smuggled into one of India's biggest cities, they said. Authorities also used loudspeakers and distributed leaflets in villages, urging people to hand over poultry to culling teams. Villagers say government compensation of a dollar a bird was not enough. "It's not just money, it is such a sentimental issue as villagers keep ducks and chickens as pets and also have different names to call them," Nazrul Islam of the West Bengal Poultry Association said. West Bengal has promised to pay more money to villagers, admitting the virus could spread further if birds were not culled quickly. The World Health Organisation has said it is India's most serious outbreak of bird flu. Over 1.5 million birds have already been culled since the deadly H5N1 virus hit the state earlier this month. Another half a million chickens and ducks will be slaughtered in the next few days, officials said. The government says laboratory tests have confirmed the H5N1 strain in at least two of West Bengal's 19 districts, but said reports from 11 other districts were likely to be the same. Authorities said the virus could have come from neighbouring Bangladesh, also struggling to contain an outbreak of bird flu. Most countries and all Indian states have banned poultry products from West Bengal. |
| Posted by: john frum 2008-01-28 05:57 |
| #1 Poultry products are still moving from area to area within Bengal. The Communist Party cadres ignore the health inspectors. |
| Posted by: john frum 2008-01-28 05:36 |