Avoid all contact with birds, says advisory

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 20

Asserting that people should strictly avoid all contact with birds and they should not touch surfaces with bird droppings in the wake of the avian influenza outbreak at the Sukhna Lake, the UT Administration today issued an advisory to the city residents.

The UT Animal Husbandry Department has also put all poultry birds on surveillance within the 10-km radius of Sukhna Lake, claimed Lovelesh Kant Gupta, Joint Director, UT Animal Husbandry Department.

Today, a three-member team of health experts from the Diseases Control Department, Union Health Ministry, held a series of meetings with officials of the UT Administration, following which the advisory was issued.

The team, comprising Dr D Bhattacharya from Safdarjang Hospital, Dr Sanket and Dr Himanshu, both specialists from Public Health, Union Health Ministry, reached the city last night after the Centre issued a sanitisation certificate to the UT Administration for a successful de-contamination of the lake and culling of the birds as per the guidelines of the WHO.

A meeting of senior officials of the UT Administration was held at Paryavaran Bhawan. Talking to The Tribune, Dr VK Gagneja, Director, Health Services, said the team would assist the UT Health Department in assessing the human health component post the outbreak of avian influenza.

Survey continues

The residents were examined for any symptoms of bird flu and were apprised of the steps to be undertaken as a precautionary measure. TheCentral team also reviewed the arrangements made by the administration for the sanitisation of residential areas falling in the 3-km radius of the Sukhna Lake.
On the second day of the survey of houses located in the 3-km radius of the lake, the UT Administration today inspected 2,250 houses and checked for any symptoms in the residents. The officials conducted a survey across houses in Kaimbawala, Kishangarh, Bhagwanpura and Sectors 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.