Nagaland gears up to tackle bird flu

Well prepared to tackle bird flu, Nagaland has intensified surveillance, particularly in inter-state check gates, to prevent entry of avian influenza into the state.

At a meeting chaired by the chief secretary Lalhuma in Kohima on Monday, senior officials of the veterinary and animal husbandry and health and family welfare departments were asked to take stock of their preparedness in the event of an outbreak of bird flu in the state.

The veterinary department has prepared an action plan and procured necessary equipment and medicines to detect, prevent and tackle any outbreak of the deadly disease.

The department has also constituted over 700 rapid response teams to monitor and tackle any eventuality, and surveillance was monitored on a daily basis.

The chief secretary asked the departments to be on high alert as the disease was like a 'natural disaster', the sources said.

The ban on import of poultry and their products, enforced in 2007 in the wake of outbreak of avian flu in neighbouring Manipur, is still in force in Nagaland.