PHOTO: AP

PRECAUTIONARY STEP: Eggs being taken for destruction at Navapur in Maharashtra on Tuesday as part of measures to contain the bird flu virus in the district.

NEW DELHI: The Centre on Tuesday decided to suspend vaccination of poultry in the 3-10 km surveillance zone of avian flu affected areas in Gujarat and Maharashtra. All birds in the region will be culled within five days in consultation with poultry farm owners.

Cabinet Secretary B.K. Chaturvedi said here that a committee of experts would ascertain the source of the outbreak and recommend surveillance measures for the future. It comprised scientists from the Ministries of Health and Environment and Forests, the Indian Council of Medical Research and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.

The Centre also issued an advisory to the Civil Aviation Ministry and the Railway Board informing them that serving chicken and eggs was safe. Several airlines on Monday decided not to serve poultry and poultry products.

But, even as the Centre issued the advisory, the Railway Ministry decided to ban chicken dishes and eggs in the "public interest." The infection spread through contact with poultry and the chances of its spreading from the catering staff to passengers were very high, a Ministry statement said. However, to prove that poultry and poultry products were safe for consumption, officials of the Health and Animal Husbandry ate chicken nuggets and even served them to journalists.

"Culling has been extended beyond the three-km zone, at the request of poultry owners, as it would help us achieve the disease-free status faster. Vaccination would require more manpower and monitoring," Animal Husbandry Secretary P.M.A. Hakeem told reporters.

Upma Chowdhry, Joint Secretary (Animal Husbandry), said culling of both commercial and backyard poultry was completed within the infected zone in Gujarat. So far, 73,157 birds were killed and several thousands of eggs destroyed. Payment of compensation also started.

In Maharashtra, culling operations were continuing and the number of birds killed reached 1,50,000. Nearly 1,58,000 eggs were destroyed and 25 tonnes of feed was disposed of. According to Ms. Chowdhry, the district administration provided 93 labourers to help the rapid response teams (RRTs) with the disposal of culled birds.

Vineet Chawdhry, Additional Secretary (Health and Family Welfare), said the RRTs in Maharashtra had covered 14,000 people during their house-to-house surveys and 42,000 people in Gujarat.

In Maharashtra 104 cases of upper respiratory tract infection were detected and in Gujarat 131 cases were reported but the affected had no history of contact with poultry.

The Ministry approached Cipla, Hetero Drugs and Ranbaxy for supplying Tamiflu.

Reacting to thousands of deaths of poultry in Karnataka's Shimoga district, Mr. Hakeem said it appeared the cause was IBD disease. Samples were sent to the High Security Animal Laboratory in Bhopal to eliminate any doubt.

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