NEW DELHI: The dreaded pathogenic H5N1 bird flu has hit the country — about 50,000 birds are suspected to have been infected in the tribal Nandurbar district of Maharashtra.

As a precaution, two lakh birds being reared in 16 commercial farms within 3 km radius of the affected area would be culled (killed), the Secretary, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, P.M.A. Hakeem, told The Hindu . The dead birds would be buried in deep pits.

Red alert in Surat

A red alert has been sounded in the adjoining Surat district in Gujarat, which has many commercial farms. India has about 490 million poultry of which 60 per cent is in the commercial sector. The rest is backyard poultry.

Union Cabinet Secretary B.K. Chaturvedi convened a meeting of senior officials on Saturday to assess the situation and activated an action plan to prevent the spread of the disease. A team of over 200 veterinary doctors and specialists has been rushed to Maharashtra. A five-member rapid response team from the National Institute of Communicable Diseases has also been despatched.

According to Mr. Hakeem, there has been no case of human infection so far. A Central team comprising officials of the Health and Family Welfare Ministry and the Animal Husbandry Department has already been sent. The H5N2 vaccine for birds and `tamiflu' tablets against human infection have been moved to the district. Mr. Hakeem too is rushing to Maharashtra to take stock of the situation.

He said the cause of the infection could not be immediately ascertained, although it was suspected to be from migratory birds. The affected districts are dotted with swamps and small water bodies. India has banned the import of poultry since February 2004 when bird flu first hit parts of Europe.

A late evening press note from the Ministry and Family Welfare said there was no need to panic. The situation was under control. The Government was taking adequate precautions to segregate healthy birds from the infected ones. Control measures as per international guidelines had already been initiated.

A control room has been set up in the "Department of Animal husbandry. The telephone number is 011-23387804.

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