In the wake of the deadly bird flu hitting the north eastern states like Assam and West Bengal, Union health minister Dr Anbumani Ramadoss has asked the chief ministers of all states to review the preparedness to combat any situation. The minister held a meeting in Delhi and reviewed the situation in the country and looked into the preparedness of various agencies in this regard.

Dr Ramadoss has asked all the chief ministers and health ministers of the states to upgrade the preparedness to deal with the disease. Avian influenza, or 'bird flu', is a contagious disease of animals caused by viruses that normally infect only birds and, less commonly, pigs. Avian influenza viruses are highly species-specific, but have, on rare occasions, crossed the species barrier to infect humans.

In the review meeting, the minister expressed concern over the recurrence of Avian Influenza in West Bengal and requested the health set up of the State to scale up their preparations and efforts to deal with the situation. He advised the state to carry out a regular drill to deal with the disease, irrespective of the outbreak conditions.

Dr Ramadoss emphasized the need to increase the awareness campaign in order to educate the people to adopt safe practices and cooperate in the culling operations. The minister assured all the states of full support from the Centre for their efforts and asked them to utilize this situation to create a standing infrastructure to deal with Avian Influenza in future also.

The meeting was attended by senior officials from Ministry of Health, Ministry of Animal Husbandry, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Home, Ministry of I&B, Governments of Assam, West Bengal, Meghalaya, Bihar, and Jharkhand.