GOVERNMENTS in the North-Eastern states have sounded  maximum alert and banned import of poultry from neighbouring China, Myanmar, Bhutan and Bangladesh in the wake of the bird flu outbreak, which has hit Thailand and Vietnam among other South Asian nations.

Concerned over reports of bird flu in several countries, the North-Eastern states, which share 4,000-km-long international borders, have sounded the alarm in the region. Meanwhile, people in general have mostly stopped consuming chicken in these states. Sale of chicken has gone down in all parts of the region and according to Rashid Ali, one of the biggest suppliers of chicken in Guwahati, the demand has gone down by almost 70 per cent in past three weeks. However, confusion prevailed in the region with regard to the issuing of maximum alert and stopping chicken import.

“As far as we traders know there is no trade of chicken with any country. All are supplied from Assam and other parts of the eastern India, ‘  said Basir Ali, a suppliers of chicken from Lakthokia area. However, Manipur and Mizoram were spearheading moves to seal their borders against the deadly virus. “We have ordered a ban on poultry import from Myanmar to check possible entry of poultry or poultry products originating from Thailand, Thangso Baite, Veterinary Minister, Manipur, said at Imphal. He also stated that veterinarians had been posted along the border with Myanmar to monitor the situation. “We are geared up following the epidemic in some parts of South Asia, but we have no reports of the disease from anywhere within Manipur, he added. Meanwhile, a trade official from Moreh said that there was no organised trade of chicken between India and Myanmar. Village level non-organised barter trade was prevalent and prevention of it was next to impossible, he added.

  Official sources from Imphal, however, said police and paramilitary forces on the border with Myanmar had been given orders to prevent smuggling of poultry or poultry products from that country. This has been backed up by a bird flu control cell, set up by the Manipur Government to monitor the situation across the state.Meanwhile, Mizoram had also introduced equally tight security measures, with DCS instructed to prevent poultry and animals from entering the state.

The rule would be enforced not only along Mizoram’s 670-km-long border with Bangladesh and Myanmar, but also with the other states in the North-East, according to Dr Sangnghina, Director, Animal Husbandry, Mizoram. He told newspersons at Aizwal that the government was also using the mass media to spread awareness about the disease. A report from Patna said, officials deployed along the Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bangladesh admitted of smuggling and both way transportation of chickens and eggs across the Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bangladesh international borders adjoining Bihar.

The smuggling through the borders was the main cause of worry for the people of Bihar though the Centre had taken all precautionary measures to prevent spread of the disease in the country. Majority of the people of the state had stopped consuming poultry products and their demands had dropped all over the state. Director in Chief, state health department, Dr Anil Kumar ruled out the possibility of the disease spreading in Bihar and maintained that the special cell of the department was ready to meet any such eventuality and would start operating as it had done at the time of spread of SARS.

He said the special cell would be directed to work strategically once the department received instructions from the Centre. Animal Husbandry Department Secretary B B Srivastava said all poultry farms had been instructed to maintain cleanliness to minimise the chances for infection. .

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