WEST BENGAL AI SITREP - 10: JANUARY 25: AI CONTINUES RAPID

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KOLKATA 000030

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT PLEASE PASS HHS AND CDC

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KFLU EAGR TBIO CASC AMED ASEC SENV IN
SUBJECT: WEST BENGAL AI SITREP - 10: JANUARY 25: AI CONTINUES RAPID
SPREAD WITH CASES CONFIRMED IN TWO NEW DISTRICTS

REF: A) KOLKATA 0028 B) KOLKATA 0027 C) KOLKATA 0025 AND PREVIOUS

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1. (SBU) SUMMARY: On January 25 the presence of the Avian
Influenza (AI) virus in poultry was confirmed in two more
districts in W. Bengal -- Howrah and Purulia. This makes 11
districts now affected by AI out of a total of 18 in the state.
In the evening of January 24, GOWB Chief Minister Buddhadeb
Bhattacharya called an emergency meeting to assess the bird flu
situation in the state and asked for an effective strategy to
prevent the entry of poultry into Kolkata from the affected
districts. The Minister for Animal Resources Department (ARD),
however, said that preventing smuggling would be difficult and
that the virus could enter the city within a couple of days.
Through January 24, according to the GOWB, approximately 800,000
birds had been culled in eight out of the 11 affected districts
by 583 Rapid Response Teams (RRTs). Culling operations could
not be carried out in Malda district on January 24, reportedly
due to inadequate protective gear for the cullers. Reports of
significant numbers of poultry deaths have come in from another
district - Jalpaiguri in northern W. Bengal. So far, no/no
suspected human AI cases have been detected, and health workers
are conducting house-to-house surveillance in the virus-hit
districts. Detailed GOWB statistics are available at two GOWB
websites listed in paragraph 7. Consulate Kolkata also held a
town hall meeting on AI for AmCits and staff. The presence of
AI in two more districts is futher indication of the virus'
rapid spread in West Bengal and of the state authorities'
inability to control this AI outbreak. END SUMMARY.


2. (U) On January 25 the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory
in Bhopal confirmed the presence of the H5N1 virus in samples
sent from two new districts in W. Bengal - Howrah and Purulia.
Howrah district is adjacent to Kolkata across the Hooghly River
and includes Kolkata's sister city of Howrah. Howrah city is
West Bengal's second largest urban center with a population of
over one million people. The presence of AI in Howrah district
is a disturbing indication that AI continues to move closer to
the Kolkata-Howrah urban conurbation, which has a population of
almost 20 million people. Purulia is a rural western district
bordering the state of Jharkhand. On January 24, GOWB Chief
Minister Bhattacharjee held an emergency meeting in Kolkata to
assess the AI outbreak. He called for an action plan to prevent
poultry from AI-affected districts being smuggled into Kolkata.
ARD Minister Anisur Rehman said it would be a difficult task to
prevent smuggling of poultry into the city from the neighboring
flu affected districts, but that his department had sealed the
entry points into the city and it was now up to the Kolkata
Municipal Corporation to ensure that no virus affected bird
appeared in the city's markets. CM Bhattacharjee directed GOWB
Home Secretary P.R. Ray to implement the strategy.


3. (U) By the end of January 24, state ARD reported that
approximately 800,000 birds were culled by 583 RRTs across eight
of the now 11 flu-affected districts. In Birbhum district, on
January 24, for the first time the daily culling total crossed
the 100,000 mark as ARD teams culled 125,000 birds in Margram
and Rampurhat areas. ARD officials attributed the increased
efficiency in their operations to a change in strategy - instead
of starting early in the morning, they are now starting late -
around 1200 noon. The teams are continuing with culling
operations after sundown and are finding more poultry back in
their pens during those hours. Cold weather, accompanied by
rain, has affected culling operations, but not significantly.
News reports stated that culling operations could not commence
in Malda district due to insufficient availability of protective
gear for culling teams. Reports of resistance to culling from
poultry owners continue to trickle in from some districts. The
Hindustan Times wrote that culling teams faced stiff opposition
in Bolpur-Sriniketan (Birbhum district) on the first day of
culling in that area. In the same district, in Kanachi village,
teams turned back without culling any birds because of local
resistance from villagers. (Comment: In some cases, villagers
have been unwilling to hand over poultry due to disatisfaction
with the level of compensation and the general lack of awareness
about the risks of AI. End Comment.)


4. (U) The Jalpaiguri district in North Bengal, bordering Cooch
Behar, may soon be an AI-affected site. 250 birds have
reportedly died since the night of January 23 in Magurmari,
Sakuwajhora and Baharagaria villages in the Dhuburi block in

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Jalpaiguri. An ARD department official told Post that on
January 24 some areas around Jalpaiguri town had been scheduled
for culling after they reported unusual poultry mortality.
(Comment: The pre-emptive culling indicates that the
authorities suspect the posibility of H5N1, although not
confirmed by test results. End Comment.)


5. (U) According to available statistics from the GOWB, through
January 23 medical teams have surveyed 590,000 people in the
affected districts. A total of 2,446 cases of fever have been
detected, none of which demonstrated clinical symptoms of AI.
Fifteen human samples collected ( South Dinajpur - five,
Murshidabad - two and Birbhum - eight) through January 23 and
sent for testing have all returned negative. GOWB Director of
Health Services Dr. Sanchita Bakshi informed Post that 3979
cullers have been examined and 24 had fevers. The test results
that have been received so far are all negative for AI, and an
additional eight human samples were sent for testing to NIV Pune
on January 24. She confirmed that all cullers and health
workers are taking chemoprophylaxis. Dr. Bakshi said that fever
and colds are common at this time of the year and she expects
that all the samples sent for testing to come back be negative
for AI. Dr. Bakshi maintained that, "the situation is under
control," and again confirmed no suspected case of human AI has
been detected so far.


6. (U) A press release issued by the state Health Department on
January 24 stated that isolation observation wards have been set
up in each affected district. Fourteen ventilators have been
installed at those facilities along with other necessary
equipment. The Department has also directed the district
health authorities in unaffected districts to identify health
facilities where isolation wards could be opened, and if
necessary, to equip them with essential amenities. (Comment:
Medical facilities in the state's rural areas are generally very
poor and so isolations wards will likely be inadequate if human
AI cases do occur. End Comment.) The Infectious Disease
hospital, where the NICED lab is located, in Kolkata has been
identified as the state's hub hospital.


7. (U) Information material, guidelines, forms and protocols and
important documents related to Avian Influenza have been made
available to the general public by the state government at the
website www.wbhealth.gov.in. Daily press releases on the bird
flu situation are available at HYPERLINK "http://www.wbgov.com"
www.wbgov.com.


8. (U) On January 25, Consulate Kolkata held a town hall
meeting at the American Center to inform staff and as an
additional outreach to AmCits about the AI outbreak. ConGen,
MinCouns for Consular Affairs - Embassy New Delhi, and Embassy
Regional Medical Officer provided AmCits and Consulate staff and
family members with an overview of the AI situation in W. Bengal
and answered questions related to precautionary and protective
measures.


9. (SBU) Comment: The confirmation of two new districts
affected by AI in W. Bengal indicates that AI continues to
spread throughout the state and culling efforts have not been
sufficient. The presence of AI in Howrah means that the disease
is now close to the state's major urban center. The large
population of the Howrah-Kolkata metropolitan region,
potentially increases exponentially human exposure to the
disease if it manifests in the numerous urban markets and
poultry shops.
JARDINE