India suspects foreign hands in artificially introducing bird flu into India - biological warfare?
Babu Ghanta
Feb. 19, 2006

India is increasingly suspecious of foreign hands in plunging the country into a biological warfare of bird flu. The virus showed up in a remote place that is not an international border or on the path of migratory birds that could possibly bring the virus. Suddenly more than 30,000 poultry birds die of bird flu in a remote place.

According to media reports, “I am worried and surprised about the whole thing,” says Kalyan Banerjee, former director of the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune who is also a member of the government committee advising about bio terrorism.

Transmission of flu from birds to humans is very difficult and the fears have been over blown, Banerjee told PTI in a telephone interview. The 90-odd persons in some 30 countries who have so far died of this virus were bird handlers and no single.

Human-to-human transmission has taken place. The commercial angle to the whole bird flu business “should be looked at very carefully,” says Banerjee who is one of many scientists who believe that what struck Surat in 1994 was not plague.

India which was saying for three years that there was no bird flu in the country had two months ago purchased two million doses of a bird flu vaccine (based on Hong Kong strain) manufactured by a Dutch company.

India has also placed orders for the drug tamiflu from the multinational company Roche while three Indian companies have announced that they will be soon ready with generic version of tamiflu.

“And suddenly more than 30,000 poultry birds die of bird flu in a remote place,” says Banerjee. Banerjee says he is mystified by the fact that the virus showed up in a remote place that is not an international border or on the path of migratory birds that could possibly bring the virus.

“This needs detailed investigations,” he said. Asked if the virus could have been introduced deliberately he said “all aspects” must be investigated. S Ghosh, a senior scientist at the Venkateswara Hatcheries Limited - India's largest supplier of egg laying breeds - told PTI that the bird deaths this year were mostly caused by Newcastle virus due to weather and inadequacies in vaccination.

Health ministry officials investigating the bird flu breakout told reporters that while the bird flu virus strain H5N1 was isolated by the Bhopal high security laboratory, “the Newcastle virus was also found in the samples.”

Ghosh said it was unfortunate that the government created the panic before analysing more samples from dead and living birds and also testing for the virulence of the H5N1 strain through gene sequencing studies. He said not all H5N1 strains are virulent.

The health ministry officials say that in the coming days more samples will be analysed not only from poultry birds but also from the egrets and ibis birds found in the area, which they believe might have been the carriers.

India suspects foreign hands in artificially introducing bird flu into India - biological warfare?
Babu Ghanta
Suddenly more than 30,000 poultry birds die of bird flu in a remote place,,the virus showed up in a remote place that is not an international border or on the path of migratory birds that could possibly bring the virus
READ MORE>>

Vishwa Hindu Parishad [VHP, World Hindu Council] has demanded total ban on conversion in the country
Mrdia Release
It is time for India to get rid of people who take advantage of poverty to covert people into their own religion.....
READ MORE>>

MORE ARTICLES >>