SHILLONG, Jan 6: The Meghalaya government has stepped up vigil against avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, in the wake of reports of its outbreak in several states of the country.
An official from the state Animal Husbandry & Veterinary department on Wednesday said the department was taking all precautions to prevent any outbreak of bird flu in Meghalaya.
“We are working on the standard operating procedures (SOPs) and guidelines which will be out by tomorrow,” the official said, while stressing on the need for everyone to remain careful.
Informing that the state so far has not seen any case of bird flu, the official said the government would go for culling of birds only if confirmed cases were reported in the state.
Amid the outbreak of avian influenza, the Centre has set up a control room in New Delhi to monitor the situation on a daily basis and take stock of the preventive and control measures undertaken by the state authorities.
Avian influenza has been reported from Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Kerala so far and there are 12 epicentres of bird flu in these states.
The department has asked the affected states to contain the disease and prevent further spread in accordance with the “Action Plan on Avian Influenza”, which includes strengthening the biosecurity of poultry farms, disinfection of affected areas and proper disposal of dead birds.
Avian influenza infections in humans however have not been reported in India yet though the disease is zoonotic.
There is no direct evidence that viruses can be transmitted to humans through consumption of contaminated poultry products.