TMCnet News
Rapid response team ready for any eventuality(The Times of India Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)CHANDIGARH: A rapid response team comprising doctors has been formed, just in case there is any suspicion of a bird flu outbreak in Chandigarh. The team is monitoring the situation round-the-clock. Also, foresters and four forests guards have been trained from the Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, Jalandhar, to take all kinds of samples -- blood, faecal and sputum. Such samples are already being collected from the resident as well as migratory aquatic birds from Sukhna Lake and sent to Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, Jalandhar. These samples have even tested negative. Samples of the migratory birds will also be taken this week with the help of Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) located at Pinjore. The residents have been advised not to touch any migratory bird or any dead bird. They were requested to report any such death to the chief wildlife warden immediately. A team of doctors will be sent to the National Institute of Communicable Diseases, Delhi, for three days' training from February 28 to March 2. Doctors at Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, and PGI have been asked to remain prepared for any outbreak of avian influenza. General Hospital, Sector 16, has kept ready two rooms, one for male and other for female patients to tackle the situation effectively in case of bird flu. These rooms are with all facilities like ICU, ventilator, automatic analyser et al. The director health services took a meeting of all SMOs, CMOs and incharges of dispensaries to draw a detailed action plan to tackle bird flu in case of an outbreak. Earlier, a meeting was held in the wake of the outbreak of avian influenza in parts of Maharashtra. SK Sandhu, finance-cum-secretary environment and forests, convened a meeting with the director, animal husbandry and poultry, director health services, chief wildlife warden and medical officer of health to review the progress on the action plan already drawn by the respective departments for preventing the ingress of the highly pathogenic avian influenza. |