Bangla twist to flu outbreak

KOLKATA/NEW DELHI: The state government wants the Centre to take up the bird flu issue with the Bangladesh government after reports that the deadly virus may have come to Bengal from across the border.
State ministers and officials on Sunday pointed to website reports of bird flu outbreak in 26 districts of Bangladesh, but Surjya Kanta Mishra, who heads the health department, and his colleague in the animal resources department, Anisur Rahman, tried to steer clear of any controversy, saying it was the Centre’s responsibility to find out the source of the outbreak."We can only provide information," both ministers said.
"We had information about the outbreak in Bangladesh through a letter from the Indian High Commission. The Centre too had this information. There were joint surveys and border inspections with central teams. We told the Centre that the border had to be sealed but that was not done. We did what the central officials asked us to do. What we couldn’t realize was that the virus will strike at backyard poultry farm," said Anisur Rahman said on Sunday.
The state government, which has drawn flak from the Centre for not reacting to the flu scare quickly enough, claims it has taken every possible step to prevent the spread of the virus. "Even before the outbreak we have been sending samples for tests. Around 3,516 samples were sent for tests before January 15. None of them tested positive. It was only after January 15 did we start getting confirmation," Rahman said.
In New Delhi, Union health minister A Ramadoss said: "Bangladesh needs to be more transparent. Their control and containment operations have been veiled in secrecy. I won’t be surprised if more that 27 districts officially announced by Bangladesh are affected. The problem has risen from the lack of a proper government rule there." Calling the outbreak of flu in Bengal as "grave and worrisome", Ramadoss added: "I am keeping my fingers crossed."