BIRD FLU IN INDIA

Hi! Do you hear about the Bird Flu Infection in Margram, West Bengal, India?

Let me state the disaster occurred on January 2008 in West Bengal.

I am Dr. Suman Dey ( email: deysuman72@rediffmail.com), Veterinary Officer at Block Animal Health Center, Margram, under Rampurhat-II block, Birbhum. I have 1st identified the case of Bird Flu at Margram.
The incidence was identified when a villager came to meet me in my office on 8th January’08 morning and told me most of his household non-descriptive type poultry birds are suffering from illness predominantly showing whitish- greenish diarrhea. He also informed that most birds of his neighbours were also suffering with similar symptoms.
I had asked him to show me one of his ailing birds for appropriate diagnosis. In the mean time Mr. Chamatkar Sarkar of Mahipara, Margram, came to the dispensary and told that out of his 30 non-descriptive poultry birds 8 died last night. Curiously, Mr. Sarkar’s birds were previously vaccinated with F1 and R2B strain of Ranikhet Disease (New Castle Disease) vaccine as per schedule. He brought an ailing bird to me for treatment.
On the first look, I found it alarming. It was a non-descriptive type matured hen showing symptoms like occulo-nasal discharge, laboured breathing and pasty faeces stuck to the feathers around cloacae. But the most striking lesion was its heavily swollen face especially around eyes. Its comb and wattle was also swollen. Wattle and face was prominently cyanotic. While interrogating, I found most of the birds died within few hours of showing symptoms. Then I had arrange a quick visit to the reported area i.e. Mahipara, Baganpara and Mirapara of Margram. It was havoc on 7th night. Nearly 300 birds died on that night and the dead birds were thrown here and there in the village. Street dogs and crows were making feast on those carcasses. The village Margram is predominantly inhabited by lower and lower-middle class Muslim community and most of the family is having a good no of desi (Non-descriptive) poultry birds and duck population. At that time I collected two freshly died Bird as sample, one from Mr. Jahangir Sarkar of Baganpara and another from Mr. Chamatkar Sarkar of MAhipara and send it in ice pack at once to the District Pathological Lab., Suri, Birbhum, stating all the fact and urgency. I had not gone for a postmortem of the birds assuming it might be a case of Bird Flu (Avian Influenza). At that time I had distributed antibiotics, mainly Oxytetracycline powder among the villagers for the treatment of ailing birds.