IMPHAL, April 23: Culling of fowls within the infected zone which is within a radius of 1 km aerial distance from the epi-centre ICAR, Lamphelpat, will be completed on April 24, Veterinary and Animal Hunbandry joint director Dr H Chaoba informed media persons today while speaking on the steps taken up by the directorate following the confirmed outbreak of the Avian Influenza in the State capital.
The next step, according to the jt director will be mopping and combing operation.
He also appealed to the general public, especially the poultry breeders to co-operate as the containment exercise is about to end.
The culling exercise was conducted today at various places including Lamphel, nearby ICAR complex, Police family line quarters, RIMS Nurse colony, AG colony, CRPF colony, Sinam Leikai, Watham Leirak, Lairenhanjaba Leikai, Hijam Leikai, PDA complex, Areas near Central School etc.
On the fourth day today, four more team (two monitoring teams and two mobile teams which included a camera team) were added to the previously existing 10 Rapid Response team, he said.
3007 adult boiler, 523 adult duck, 4065 chicken and 28 Turkey were culled today while 265 eggs, 780 kg of poultry feeds were also destroyed by the RRT teams with full co-operation from the public, according to an official statement.
Fresh Personal Protective Equipments were also issued to the RRT members with help from the North East Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory Institute of Animal Health Veterinary Department Assam.
Except for a stray incident at Langol Tarung Village today there was no untoward incident reported during the entire exercise in the past few days, Chaoba said.
He continued that after the culling operation is completed, the infected areas will be sensitized and cleaned and sanitization certificates for the areas concerned will be issued, he continued.
It will take another 10 days for the entire process to complete, he said stating that consumption of already dressed poultry will be allowed though there could be some restrictions on transferring of live fowls.
The concerned DC will also urged to issue notification regarding safe consumption of poultry, he continued.
He said distribution of compensation for culled poultry which were recorded will also be taken up soon.
Compensation will not be provided to anyone found hiding their live poultry, he continued.
He said the Avian Influenza (HPAI H5N!) can`™t survive in water boiling upto 70 degree Celsius and as such after sanitization certificates are issued people can start consuming poultry properly cooked.
However, samples of fowls will be sent for testing to the ACT Directorate National Institute of High Security Animal Disease, Bhopal every fortnight as part of surveillance exercise, he added.
This exercise will be continued for two months after which the infected areas can start rearing poultry with proper surveillance for another three months, he said adding that very soon an expert team from Delhi will be arriving in the State to initiate the surveillance exercise.
He also said that the areas will also have to be declared free of Avian influenza by the OIE World Animal organisation.