NEW DELHI: "There has been no outbreak of avian influenza or bird flu in the country for more than three months. On August 10, India will seek a certification from the International Animal Diseases Agency, OIE, to declare the country free from bird flu," Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said here on Friday.

It is not as though the influenza will not recur after certification. It has in Bangkok recently, eight months after that country was declared free from bird flu. It is just that India has qualified for international certification as there has been no outbreak of bird flu in the last three months.

The move would help India regain its export market in eggs and revive the domestic market. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation, some 200 million poultry had been culled in outbreaks in South-East Asia and the disease had resulted in cumulative losses of $200 billion in South-East Asia alone. No official figures were, however, available for India.

Threat to livelihoods

Mr. Pawar was addressing a joint press conference with Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramdoss at the end of a two-day Conference of Ministers of Health and Agriculture/Livestock on Avian Influenza Control and Pandemic Preparedness in Asia held here.

A Delhi Declaration adopted by the Conference focussed on the threat to livelihoods of small poultry farmers from threat of bird flu and resolved to be "fully prepared'' through coordinated and effective multi-sectoral response.

Vaccine successful

Mr. Pawar said India had developed a prototype vaccine for bird flu with the indigenous virus strain. The vaccine, developed by the Indian Council for Agriculture Research, had tested successful in laboratory conditions and would be commercialised after field tests.

Excellent coordination

According to him, India had been able to control and contain the outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza in three States earlier this year. This was due to excellent coordination between the Health and Animal Husbandry departments and the Centre and the States.

The Minister said the poultry industry had suffered heavy losses in business and the industry was gripped by fear psychosis. The lead role must be played by the animal sector in containing the spread of avian influenza. The best strategy was to control the deadly virus at its source, that is, at the level of the animal itself. "Such a strategy has to be based on preparedness to handle an outbreak, an early warning available through active and intensive surveillance, quick testing, immediate notification and rapid containment.''

Averting pandemic

Dr. Ramdoss emphasised the need for better coordination between the affected countries of South-East Asia to avert a pandemic. The challenge was to evolve common standards for hygienic poultry rearing, processing practices and testing laboratories.

Drug banned

Earlier, addressing the Conference, he had said that India had banned the retail sale of oseltamivir phosphate, an anti-viral drug for avian flu. During the outbreak there was a mad rush for this drug. "To prevent its misuse, we have banned its sale. It is now available only through the government health system under medical supervision.''

Among the agencies and countries that participated in the conference were the World Health Organisation, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

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