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After a delay of three weeks, the Indian government has finally decided to accept the US's offer of technical help and aid in their fight against the bird flu virus.
This from the Times of India.
Bird flu: 3 weeks after offer, India accepts US help
13 Feb 2008, 0213 hrs IST,
NEW DELHI: India has finally agreed to accept American help in combating the bird flu outbreak in West Bengal.
Almost three weeks after the US government offered India help and a week after US ambassador David Mulford wrote to agriculture minister Sharad Pawar offering technical support, the animal husbandry ministry is now writing to the MEA, communicating its willingness to accept the offer.
Thirteen of the 19 districts in West Bengal have been infected by the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza. But the good news is that not a single new district has reported an outbreak since February 2.
This has made the ministry officials believe that "the worst may finally be over".
With culling of birds almost over in West Bengal, the Centre now wants to utilize US help in disinfection operations. It also wants help in culling those backyard poultry which have been missed by surveillance teams.
Animal husbandry secretary Pradeep Kumar confirmed India's plans. He said, "We will write to MEA soon to ask US to provide us with superior tools to carry out culling, containment and disinfection operations. At present, birds are culled by breaking their neck. India wants US to supply fumigation chambers to cull birds." Also, disinfecting areas won't be easy, specially with backyard poultry. "We want improved technological tools to carry out meticulous disinfection of infected districts," Kumar added.
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