The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : `It is safe to eat chicken'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 01, 2006

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

`It is safe to eat chicken'

Staff Reporter

SHRC chief allays fears over bird flu

MAKING A POINT: Justice (Retd) B. Subhashan Reddy, Chairperson, Andhra Pradesh State Human Rights Commission, talking to captains of the poultry industry in Hyderabad on Tuesday. — PHOTO: P. V. Sivakumar

HYDERABAD: Justice B. Subhashan Reddy, Chairperson, Andhra Pradesh State Human Rights Commission (SHRC), strongly advocated consumption of chicken and eggs. "Shed all fear, and eat it as there is no bird flu in the State," he said.

Stringent measures

He was addressing a meeting organised by the Association of National Poultry Feed Manufacturers here on Tuesday. Stating that there was no case of human infection in the State, Justice Reddy asked people not to go by sentiments, but by scientific facts.

Andhra Pradesh was a major exporter of poultry and poultry products and hence, stringent bio-security measures were being taken at the farm level making the entry of the disease very difficult. "Till date, there has been no incidence of Avian Influenza in Andhra Pradesh," he said quoting the latest report by the Animal Husbandry Department.

As one manning the Human Rights Commission, it was his bounden duty to be concerned about different aspects of life, liberty and honesty. Following the bird flu scare, he had called for a report from Director, Animal Husbandry, L. Mohan in October last. The latter informed that there was no incidence of the disease in the State. In his latest report given to the commission, Mr. Mohan maintained the same thing. Up to February 25, 693 sera samples were sent to the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory, Bhopal, out of which the results for 236 samples were received as negative. Mr. Justice Reddy said he would convene a workshop on March 23 with toallay fears.

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