No case of bird flu reported in Haryana: Minister

Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij today said no case of bird flu (H5N1 virus) has been reported in the state so far and the government is in constant touch with the Centre to prevent its outbreak.
Even though no advisory or alert has been issued by the Central government, the health department had been directed to take precautionary measures in this regard, a release quoting Vij said here.
Additional Chief Secretary, Health, Ram Niwas, today held a meeting to review the situation.
The health department is fully geared up for the prevention and management of bird flu in Panchkula district and two helpline numbers have been put up in case of any query, he said.

Niwas said active surveillance had already been started within 3-km zone of Panchkula adjoining the Sukhna lake in order to prevent the spread of bird flu to human beings.
Four workers from Saketri who were culling and mopping up birds at Sukhna lake have been home-quarantined and put on tablet Tami Flu with daily follow-up for 10 days, he informed.

Besides, surveillance of poultry has been started by the Animal Husbandry department.
Seven Rapid Response Teams (RRT) have been formed for surveillance for backyard poultry in the infected zone (0-1 km) as well as in the alert zone (up to 10 km), he said.

The Animal Husbandry department has identified 60 backyard poultries in the alert zone and owners of 120 poultry farms in Barwala and Raipur Rani have been alerted to watch for any unnatural deaths in the poultry.
Niwas said district RRT team had been constituted to tackle the situation in Panchkula. An isolation ward has also been made in the General Hospital, Panchkula, for isolation and management of suspected Bird Flu patients, he said.
Nearly 35 geese had died at the lake recently under mysterious circumstances. The Chandigarh administration sounded an alert after it was confirmed that one of the ducks had died of H5N1.