Alappuzha: An intersectoral meeting involving a team from the Centre was held at the Collectorate on Wednesday following the confirmation of bird flu among ducks reared in the Cheruthana, Edathua panchayats here. The meeting was chaired by District Collector Alex Varghese. The meeting pointed out the need to strengthen awareness among farmers in the district as part of measures to stop the spread of bird flu.

The Central team assessed the functioning of the observation squad under the state health department in the district and asked to ensure coordination between the various departments involved in the process and to verify whether the health inspectors were visiting the different bird-rearing centres and carrying out checks at regular intervals.

The Central team comprised Dr B Ananthesh, Assistant Director, Public Health, NCDC; Dr Nidhi Saini, Deputy Director, RSV Lab, NCDC; and Dr Meera K. Kurup, GDMO, Department of Respiratory Medicine. Dr Jamuna Varghese, District Medical Officer (Health); Dr Sajeev Kumar, District Animal Husbandry Officer-in-Charge; Dr P Rajeev, Chief Veterinary Officer; Dr Vaishakh Mohan, District Epidemiologist; Dr Jeena S N, District Surveillance Officer; and Dr Koshy C Panicker, District Programme Officer, spoke during the meeting.