Source: The Sangai Express / PTI
Agartala, April 22:
With reports of fresh bird flu in villages in West Tripura district, more than 10,000 birds will be culled and import of poultry from outside the State has been banned.
"The State administration has decided to cull 10,000 birds in eight gram panchayat areas which falls within five km radius of the affected villages," official sources said today.
Samples of dead poultry from villages in Mohanpur, bordering Bangladesh, sent to the High Security Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Bhopal last week after hundreds of birds died tested positive, the sources said.
"A red alert has been sounded to prohibit import of poultry from outside the State, including neighbouring Bangladesh, which shares a 856-km porous border with Tripura," they said.
Personnel of BSF and special surveillance teams are maintaining vigil in border areas, the sources said.
The administration has also kept 200 teams ready for culling and procured anti-bird flu medicine from Delhi.
Commissioner of Animal Resource Department U Venkateswarlu reviewed the situation at a meeting which was attended by ARD director, district health and medical officer, District Magistrate and other senior oficials, the sources added.
Earlier, on April 6, the avian influenza virus was confirmed in samples from Malaya gram panchayat areas of Dhalai district and 40,000 birds were culled.
The sources said 43 districts of neighbouring Bangladesh were affected by bird flu.