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Assam‘s Avian Influenza epidemic
The HN51 virus has affected 120 villages in seven districts of Assam. Nearly four lakh birds were culled, 1.55lakh eggs destroyed, and 1,23, 000 kgs of feed was destroyed. The sector has suffered losses to the tune of over Rs 50 Crore. HN51 virus has been detected at Sariha Sakla village under Bajali Development Block of Barpeta district, Kheluwapara village of Boitamari Development Block of Bongaigaon district and Kharghuli Joypur area of Guwahati. This has been confirmed by the Bhopal-based High Security Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (HSADL). The virus is also found in Dibrugarh, in both the districts of Kamrup, Kamrup (Metro) and Chirang.
| What is bird flu? |
| Avian influenza or ‘bird flu’ as is commonly known is a contagious disease of birds, caused by influenza a virus that can cause a range of symptoms, from mild illness and low mortality to a highly contagious disease with a near 100% fatality rate. The bird flu virus currently affecting poultry and some people in Asia and other areas is the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of the virus. |
| It can be spread among birds, and from birds to other animals, through ingestion or inhalation. All bird species are thought to be susceptible to avian influenza. Migratory birds such as wild ducks and geese can carry the virus, often without any symptoms, and show the greatest resistance to infection. Domestic poultry flocks, however, are particularly vulnerable to epidemics of a rapid, severe and fatal form of the disease. H5N1 is able to infect people. |
Director of National Rural Health Mission, Assam, Partha Gogoi said that so far there have been no cases of human infection of bird flu reported from the affected districts.
There are reports of some persons suffering from upper respiratory tract infections (URI). URI with fever has been reported from bird flu-affected areas like Azara, Hajo, Barpeta and Nalbari. However it has not been proved whether the URI fever in human beings has any link to this epidemic, yet the affected people have been kept under close observation.
Assam Health Minister, Hemanta Biswa Sarma said, “Isolation facilities have been strengthened to admit and treat suspected cases and 10,000 capsules of Tamiflu, 6,000 surgical masks, 600 personal protective equipment, 200 N-95 masks and two ventilators have been supplied to the State by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.”
For giving a fresh lease of life to the sector, the Assam government will come up with subsidy schemes. The government has also decided to constitute an expert committee to suggest measures to deal with the virus in the future.
In view of the outbreak of bird flu in seven districts of Assam, the State Forest Department has issued instructions to keep an eye on migratory birds as several migratory birds flock the state during winter.
What symptoms does it cause? Human infection with avian influenza viruses usually causes conjunctivitis and mild flu-like symptoms, with one notable exception, the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus which can be deadly |
All Assam poultry farmers association (AAPFA) stated that the sector has been completely ravaged. Everyday it is incurring marketing and production losses to the tune of Rs 2.4 Crore.
The Chief Minister of Assam Tarun Gogoi said that the government will provide loans to the farmers to take up business initiatives in the poultry sector. “We are also working on the insurance scheme for the sector. Several youths are associated with the poultry business and the outbreak of flu has hit them hard. Production of poultry has drastically come down,” he said.
During culling operations, veterinary officials had to face resistance at different places. The owners of at least two lakh infected poultry are resisting their culling. In Assam out of the indigenous production, 70 percent of the poultry production comes from backyard poultry.
N. Gokul Ram, Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries under the Ministry of Agriculture and A.B. Bandopadhyaya, Commissioner, Animal Husbandry, Government of India held a high level meet with Assam Chief Secretary, P.C Sarma and other senior officials recently.
Mr. Bandopadhaya said that the porous Bangladesh border might be one of the reasons for the spread of the bird flu. However there could be hundreds of reasons for the outbreak of avian influenza.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has ordered for enhancing of the compensation of a full grown backyard chicken to Rs 90 from the existing Rs 50 and that of a full grown broiler chicken to Rs 80 from Rs 40. For each duck culled, the compensation has been raised from Rs 75 to Rs 125. This hike would be in retrospective effect.
The Chief Minister has also ordered pay out of maintenance of Rs 10 per bird to those farmers in the 3 to 10 km area beyond the epicenter of the flu. The state government will also roll out special scheme for rejuvenation of the crisis ridden poultry sector.
The bird flu ravaged poultry sector wants the government to come up with a rehabilitation scheme. Meghalaya has completed precautionary culling. More than 1100 birds have been culled following precautionary measure.
Secretary, AAPFA, Rajib Kr Sarmah said, “More than 15, 500 farmers, who are dependent on the sector for livelihood face a gloomy future. Bird flu in seven districts and ban on the movement of poultry products has hard hit the farmers of the areas which are not hit by the flu.” He further added, “Farmers in those areas have to keep their poultry and cannot move them to market. We want the government to come up with rehabilitation scheme to save the sector,” he said.
Animal rights group, People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India stated that the filth and unscientific handling of poultry is behind the outbreak of bird flu in the state.
Are drugs available for avian influenza in humans? The recently circulating H5N1 strains are susceptible to two antiviral drugs —oseltamivir (sold as Tamiflu) and zanamivir (sold as Relenza). However, these medicines need to be started early enough—usually within the first two days of infection—to be effective. Many of the recently circulating H5N1 influenza viruses have been shown to be resistant to two older, inexpensive antiviral drugs, rimantadine and amantadine. Scientists are studying how the H5N1 viruses became resistant to these older drugs and watching for any signs of resistance to the newer drugs |
PETA’s campaign coordinator Nikunj Sharma said, “Filthy and unhygienic condition of factory farms leads to repeated bird flu since last year in various parts of the country and the same was the cause for the spread of the virus in the state. PETA’s assessment of husbandry, slaughter, transport and health hazards to humans in Indian chicken and egg supply chain established that filthy environment associated with the sector is primarily responsible for the disease,” he said. Sharma further said,” The culling teams are not only less equipped, culling is being carried out in the most inhumanely manner. Moreover, the culling operation has been going on at a very slow pace.”
The business turnover of the poultry sector in the Northeast is estimated at one thousand crores. President of NEPEF, J.K Talukdar said, “The sector has come to a standstill. It will take at least 8 months for the sector to get revived. The city of Guwahati alone requires 20,000 kg of boiler chicken everyday for consumption,” he said.
Assam imports poultry products worth Rs 350 Crore annually from outside the state. West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh supply the poultry requirements of the state. The sector also provides employment to 35,000 people.
The feed supply from North Bengal has also been disrupted. All Northeastern states, Bihar and Bhutan have banned poultry imports from Assam.
The veterinary department has paid Rs 8.32 crores so far to the farmers as compensation. Sadou Asom Haah-Kukura Palak Sanstha (SAHKPS), an organization for poultry and ducks has alleged that there might be a conspiracy to introduce new poultry breed in the state.
SAHKPS member, A K Bhagawati alleged, “We discussed with many veterinary scientists in prominent institution, including microbiologist Barun Roy of the West Bengal-based Bidhan Chandra Roy Krishi Vishwavidyalay. We could infer that USA and other western countries are developing an avian influenza (AI) resistant breed and wanted to introduce this in India, including Assam,” he said.
