Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said here on Wednesday that the avian influenza outbreak in the State was under control.
“There is no cause for concern over spread of the flu, but caution is called for.”
Talking to the media after the Cabinet discussed the outbreak; the Chief Minister said that the flu had been reported from only some panchayats in three districts. Poultry birds needed to be culled within one km radius only. The virus strain so far isolated from the affected birds were not ones that could infect humans. However, the protocol specified by the World Health Organisation and the Centre should be strictly followed in dealing with the situation.
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The Chief Minister said that the Cabinet had sanctioned Rs. 2 crore for tackling the outbreak. The compensation would be increased to Rs. 100 for birds which are up to two months old and Rs. 200 for others in view of the demand from farmers. The compensation would apply to culled birds and would be paid without delay.
Denying reports that there were shortage of medicines, Mr. Chandy said that 9120 tablets for persons handling the birds were in stock. This would suffice for eight to nine days. Fresh stocks of protective clothing and masks for personnel handling the birds were arriving by cargo. Protective clothing and masks for immediate needs were available.
He said that a three member expert team deputed by the National Centre for Disease Control was arriving from Delhi to assess the situation and assist the government. The State government had sought financial assistance too from the Centre. The compensation of Rs. 37 per bird provided by the Centre was inadequate. The State government was earlier paying Rs. 75 for small birds and Rs. 150 for older birds.
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