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Lanka
gets ready as bird flu spreads its wings “We don’t want this to hit us like the tsunami. We need to be prepared and that is what we are doing now,” the Department’s Director General S.K.R.Amarasekera told The Sunday Times. Dr. Amarasekera has already warned that if a sick bird was found, the area would be declared out of bounds and all fowl within a three kilometre radius of their location would be destroyed. He said the Department was now spearheading a programme to educate poultry owners on how to detect the symptoms of the disease among their livestock and what steps should be taken if they suspected any of the birds had been infected. However, Dr. Amarasekera said it was an uphill task for the Department as it faced a lack of laboratory facilities, shortage of test kits and trained personnel. “Since last year we have been carrying out random tests on fowl and now we need more test kits. I have also requested the World Health Organisation (WHO) to get down a specialist to train additional personnel on how to carry out relevant tests,” he said. Dr.Amarasekera and many others in the field believe that the Avian flu could reach Sri Lanka during the migratory bird season that begins at the end of September – early October and ends around April. Many of the birds come to Sri Lanka from Siberia and Central Asian countries which have already reported cases of Avian Flu during the past few weeks. According to Upali Ekanayake of the Ceylon Bird Trust, most of the migratory birds settle in the coastal belt of the country and the large inland water bodies.“A large number of migratory ducks come to Sri Lanka and it is the water birds that mostly carrry the virus,” he said. The flu spreads from bird to bird via saliva, nasal secretions and faeces and also to humans if they come into contact with bird droppings and contaminated carcasses or by consuming meat of an infected bird. Mr. Ekanayake said one of the dangers of the flu is that several types of water birds that carry the disease are only carriers and they remain healthy but can easily spread the disease among domestic fowl such as chicken, ducks and turkey. He said people need to be vigilant and if a fowl dies without any external injuries they should notify the relevant authorities immediately as it could be due to bird flu. Areas where large numbers of migratory birds flock in Sri Lanka include the parks in Bundala, Yala and Kalamitiyawa and the inland water bodies including tanks. Dr.Amarasekera however assured that it was safe for people to consume chicken and eggs. |
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