Odisha reports bird flu outbreak, over 5,000 chickens culled
Bhubaneswar (PTI): More than 5,000 chickens were culled in Odisha after the H5N1 strain of avian influenza or bird flu was detected in the Pipili area of Odisha's Puri district, an official said on Sunday.
After mass deaths of chickens at a poultry farm in Pipili, the state government had sent a veterinary team, which collected samples and sent those for testing, he said.
After the samples came back as positive, the government started culling chickens in the farm and the locality on Saturday, he added.
While 300 chickens were culled on Saturday, more than 4,700 were culled on Sunday, said Jagannath Nanda, the additional director of disease control.
A total of 20,000 birds will be culled in Pipili, he said.
Rapid response teams have been engaged to cull the birds and bury them, he said.
Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services Joint Director Manoj Patnaik said that all birds within the 1 km radius of the poultry will be culled and the farm will not be allowed to stock chicken for another five months.
The farmers will be provided compensation as per the guidelines, he said.
While for one small chicken, they will get Rs 20, for bigger ones, the compensation is Rs 60, Patnaik said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
