by Salai Pi Pi
Tuesday, 16 June 2009 20:13
New Delhi (Mizzima) - Precautionary measures against the Swine Flu virus has been stepped up by authorities in India and Burma along their international boundary, following the positive cases of the disease, which have been detected in India.
An official from the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department in Tamu Township of Sagaing Division in northwestern Burma, bordering India’s Manipur State, on Tuesday said, his department and the Health Department had increased vigilance on the Indo-Burma border check gate No (2), after the H1N1/A virus was detected in India.
“We put up posters that warned people not to import pigs near border check gate (2)…the Health Department also checked passersby, who went in and out from both countries,” an official from Tamu, which shares the border with Moreh in India, told Mizzima.
He said, “We launched a programme to educate the people, distributed pamphlets and checked pig farms and compiled the number of pigs.”
However, he assured that there were no reports of H1N1/A virus in Tamu and other parts of Burma.
The total number of swine flu cases in India has gone up to 30, including fresh cases reported from Jalandhar and Hyderabad on Monday.
The Indian Health Ministry has also geared up its machinery to tackle the spread of the virus in the country.
Speaking to Mizzima, a resident of Moreh town on Tuesday said, Manipur State had also banned importing pigs from Burma and the consumption of pork as well. As a result, the sale of pork has gone down.
“There is no more business in pigs in the state. The sales rate of pork has also dropped,” the resident said. “At present, the price [of pork] dropped from Indian Rupees 120 to 100.”
However, another resident of Moreh said, despite the warnings, some people were still going for pork.
Another northeastern state, Mizoram, which shares its border with Chin state in western Burma, has also put out an alert regarding swine flu and taken precautionary measures along the border.
“We have strengthened our animal check gate lists all along the border and the proper checking of animals coming from across the border is being taken up,” Dr. C. Sangnghina told Mizzima on Tuesday.
Dr. C. Sangnghina said the authorities could not stop the import of pigs as there was no formal importing of pigs from Burma, but trafficking of animals illegally still continues.
“Frankly speaking, we cannot stop them because the trafficking is done by some businessmen undercover. We cannot run after them all the time,” he said.
However, he added that Mizoram state, had not yet heard of any news on the outbreak of any suspected cases of swine flu in Burma.
“So far, even along the border of Myanmar [Burma], we have not encountered any such doubt,” he added.
Till date, there have been no reports of cases of swine flu virus in northeast India, including Mizoram state.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
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