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Wednesday, Feb 06, 2008
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West Bengal bans poultry movement

Staff Reporter

KOLKATA: The West Bengal government imposed an indefinite ban on the sale and movement of poultry across the State on Tuesday, even as the culling operations were wrapped up in the remaining districts.

“There is a fear of human contamination, though there is no risk,” said Anisur Rahaman, Minister in-charge of the State’s Animal Resources Development Department. For security reasons, the movement and sale of poultry would be stopped in all the districts till further orders.

While some farms here that followed bio-security norms were earlier allowed to trade in poultry, it was increasingly becoming difficult to track their movement, said Dilip Chakraborty, the department’s Principal Secretary. It would become all the more so in the post-culling phase when mopping up and disinfections started.

No human case yet

There has, as of yet, been no report of human contamination. The 23 human blood samples had tested negative.

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee reviewed the situation at a meeting with Mr. Rahaman and Health Minister Surjyakanta Mishra.

Around 36 lakh poultry were culled across the State in the final count, with the last phase of the operations being carried out in parts of Purbo Medinipur and South 24 Parganas district.

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