AHD deploys field-level teams in 3 dists, sets up monitoring cell

Thiruvananthapuram: Animal husbandry department (AHD) has deployed three teams for field-level inspection in Ernakulam, Thrissur and Thodupuzha in the wake of Nipah outbreak. The field teams will camp and do physical inspection at places where the infected person stayed or frequented.
As the outbreak epicentre remains undetermined, the team will now focus on preliminary inspection. “We will not begin sampling now because there is no need to create panic. No reports about signs of disease in animals have been reported,” said an official with the team. A high-level meeting was also held at the directorate on Tuesday.
The department constituted a six-member state-level monitoring committee and a four-member monitoring cell at the district level on Tuesday. “We are closely monitoring any unnatural deaths or clinical signs among animals. All facilities are in place for collection of samples, but we are not starting any kind of sampling now because the source is unknown. Farmers have also been told to inform about the need to pass on alerts. Guidelines have been issued,” said director of animal husbandry (in charge) Dr PC Sunilkumar.
A team of AHD officials inspected the house where the student had stayed on Tuesday. “Animals were found in three houses in the neighbourhood and none of them have disease symptoms. We also held a meeting with avian disease diagnostic lab team. There are no pig farms in the area and we couldn’t come across anything alarming,” said Dr Manju Sebastian, district veterinary officer in Idukki.
Bats and pigs are the target species that are being monitored by field-level teams since they are the natural hosts. Other animals which are considered as incidental hosts will also be screened. The department is awaiting confirmation of source to kickstart elaborate disease-control procedure and sampling process.
Minister for AHD K Raju has directed officials to open a control room in Ernakulam to coordinate disease prevention activities.