Dera Bassi in Punjab reports bird flu cases

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, January 15

Punjab today reported its first bird flu cases with samples from two poultry farms in Dera Bassi sub-division of Mohali district testing positive for avian influenza at a Jalandhar lab.

The samples have been sent to the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory in Bhopal for confirmation.

Officials at the Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (RDDL) in Jalandhar said the samples, collected from Alpha and Royal farms at Behra village in Dera Bassi, were found positive by RT-PCR test.

Samples from 2 poultry farms test positive

• The samples were taken from Alpha and Royal farms at Behra village in Dera Bassi
• Were found positive in RT-PCR test at a Jalandhar lab
• Sent to Bhopal lab for confirmation of influenza strain

The RDDL is the only lab north of Delhi where tests related to livestock and poultry diseases are conducted. It caters to six states and two UTs—Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Chandigarh and Ladakh.

Dr Mohinder Pal Singh, RDDL Joint Director, said, “The Dera Bassi samples have been found ‘suspected positive’ in RT-PCR test. As we lack mechanism to diagnose influenza strain, the samples have been forwarded to Bhopal.” After December 30, the RDDL has received 5,092 samples from various states, 42 of which have been forwarded to the Bhopal lab for confirmatory tests.

Of the 42 samples, 23 are from Haryana, seven (all from Dera Bassi) Punjab, six Himachal, five Delhi and one from J&K. Sixteen samples from Haryana, all five from Delhi and the one from J&K are of wild or migratory birds while the rest are from poultry farms.