“We are doing whatever we can through containment and culling. But it is true that the virus continues to spread,” says Union Animal Resource Development Commissioner Santanu Bannerjee.

Sources in the Central Government say the virus keeps resurfacing in new areas because of the state Government’s inability to contain it. State Animal Resources Development Department officials corroborate this when they accept that they cannot rule out if infected birds were transported from Darjeeling to Sikkim and Nepal. In fact, the recent outbreak in Nepal, was first reported in Mechinagar municipality bordering Bengal. Sikkim’s Ravang La also borders the state.

“In Bengal we are dealing with backyard poultry. Therefore it is very difficult to contain the spread of the virus. We have been asking the Union Government to identify the source of the virus,” says state ARD minister Anisur Rehman.

He tries to shift the blame on the Centre by saying that the state has often asked New Delhi to devise a coordinated national effort to contain avian flu.

World Health Organisation (WHO) data shows there has been 249 human deaths from the H5N1 strain across the world and 397 confirmed infections since the virus resurfaced in Asia in 2003. The WHO has listed the January 2008 outbreak in West Bengal, when more than four million birds had to be culled, as the worst-ever in India.

Current status

West Bengal: Culling operations completed in Malda and Darjeeling, mopping up operations on.

Sikkim: Culling operations are on with over 2,000 birds having been culled at Hospital Road, Golaitar and 14th Mile areas of Ravang la.

... contd.