India declares itself "Bird Flu Free"

New Delhi -- India is free from the influence of bird flu and declared its status as ‘avian influenza-free country’ after having reported no outbreak of bird flu in the last three months.

Article 2.7.12.4 of the OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code (2005) says that a country can retrieve its status as being free from bird flu influence only after a three month stamping out policy is applied.

India followed the policy soul and heart and no outbreak of any bird flu case has been reported in the last three months.

On Saturday, the Agriculture Ministry said that the reports have been sent to the Office of International des Epizooties by the department of animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries.

In the beginning of the year, a few cases of bird flu were reported. Navapur and Uchchal area of the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat reported a case on February 18. The last outbreak was reported in Jalgaon district of Maharashtra. Since then, no such events have been reported.

Since the first outbreak in February, The High Security Disease Laboratory in Bhopal has examined almost 67,000 samples, the samples being collected from the outbreak areas in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.

A close watch was kept in the areas of outbreak and it has been found that the states have now got rid from the flu.

The concluding cleaning up and disinfection by India was done on May 7 and various other protective measures were followed. The measures helped in precluding the spread of the disease and made India announce it being an ‘avian influenza-free country’.