NEW DELHI : Allaying fears of the avian influenza virus having been transmitted from birds to humans, the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry on Thursday said 94 of the 95 clinical samples taken from the people of the affected zone had tested negative. The final report of one sample is expected on Saturday from the Pune-based National Institute of Virology.

Union Health Secretary P.K. Hota had said on Wednesday that there was a "distinct possibility" of the virus having been transmitted to humans.

Briefing reporters,Director General of Indian Council of Medical Research N.K. Ganguly said more new sensitive and sophisticated testing kits would be procured on Monday and the samples of the 12 people under surveillance at Navapur Hospital would be tested again. The results would be available within 90 hours. As of now, all the patients were normal and had not shown any signs of pneumonia.

`Cross-testing'

On one sample that is being tested at NIV Pune, Prof. Ganguly said all the samples taken were sent to both the NIV and the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) at Delhi to be doubly sure about the results. "It appears that one sample had not been sent to NIV and has been flown there on Thursday along with a scientist for cross-testing." The NICD does not have the facility for the highly sophisticated Real Time PCR testing.

On being asked why the schools and colleges in Navapur were closed for a fortnight and entry to the town restricted if there was no cause for concern, Prof. Ganguly said it was not necessary.

The Health Ministry has sent additional quantity of Tamiflu and Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) to Maharashtra. Additional Tamiflu doses had also been sent to Gujarat.

The Government has 50,000 courses of Tamiflu and 4,000 PPE sets in stock and additional orders have been placed for 50,000 courses and 10,000 PPE sets.

Culling operations in the infected zone in Gujarat have been completed where 73,157 birds have been killed and compensation to the tune of Rs. 23.24 lakh disbursed to farmers.

In Maharashtra also culling operations have been completed with the help of five additional Rapid Response Teams (RRTs). About 2.72 lakh birds have been culled and 5.87 lakh eggs destroyed. Disposal of feed material is still in process. Compensation amounting to Rs 7.58 lakh has been paid.The focus has now shifted to digging of pits where the poultry farm owners buried the culled birds on their own. These would be buried again as per scientific procedures.

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