Plastic bags instead of surgical gloves, just 12 gowns for some 50 health workers, no protective masks, no goggles — and complete ignorance about what exactly needs to be done. This is the situation in the West Bengal Health department which now stares at a suspected outbreak of avian flu in parts of Birbhum.

Worse, the Animal Husbandry and Resource Development Department, responsible for the health of the birds, has no clue what action is being taken by the other department. Neither department has enough supplies of protective gear like specialised gowns, masks, boots, gloves and goggles that’s mandatory for staff monitoring or investigating an outbreak.

Fifty Health department workers sent to the affected areas have been told to slip on plastic packets on their hands and fasten it with rubber bands since the department cannot provide sterile gloves.

Hospitals in the affected areas do not have isolation wards or quarantine zones. Makeshift isolation wards are being opened in the Muraroi block primary health centre and Rampurhat sub-divisional hospital for possible human cases, but the staff is ill-equipped and unaware.

Sanchita Bakshi, West Bengal Director of Health Services, said: “We are doing what we can. Bengal has never seen bird flu before. And in this case, we are yet to get confirmation from the Bhopal laboratory.”

“We have limited gowns which we had given them (health workers). We are trying to arrange more. Meanwhile, they have been told to take precautions like wearing plastic packets on their hands,” said Bakshi.

... contd.