From rxpgnews.com
Bird flue scare turns Delhiites to mutton
By IANS
Feb 22, 2006, 15:55
As the dreaded H5N1 strain of avian flu struck India, residents in the national capital Sunday started shying away from chicken and flocking counters selling mutton.
"I have no time to rest as more people are taking mutton than other days. Earlier I used to get around 25 to 30 customers a day, but the number has already crossed 100 this morning," said Mohammad Sajid, a mutton retailer in south Delhi.
"Though its price has not gone up and we are selling at Rs.130 per kg, it may be revised tomorrow. Certainly we are doing brisk business due to the bird flu threat," Sajid told IANS.
Confirming the claim of the retailer, Rajesh Ahuja, a South Delhi resident, said he used to buy a chicken every Sunday but he would prefer mutton from now on as a precautionary major.
"We know the bird flu was detected in Maharashtra, but prevention is better than cure. On one hand, it would be like a change in taste and on the other, it would help staying away from a probable health risk," said Ahuja, a young executive.
Ashwini Swain, another customer, said: "Though we prefer chicken, my family has decided to purchase mutton instead of chicken for a few weeks. When a disease like bird flu has struck an Indian state, its quite possible that it may also reach Delhi."
Sanjay Bhatt, a Chicken retailer said people were not too keen on purchasing poultry items after the reports of bird flu in Maharashtra appeared in newspapers and TV channels.
"There is a little bit of hesitation, but the real impact can be seen in a couple of days," said Bhatt.
At least 50,000 chickens are reported to have died in the Navapur village of Nandurbar district, some 300 km from Mumbai.
Since 2003, about 100 people have died in the bird flu disease world over. In 2006, 15 people - seven in Indonesia, four in Turkey, three in China and one in Iraq - have succumbed to the disease.
However, heath authorities in Delhi said there was no need to panic and as bird flu had not been reported in the capital.
"There is no threat of bird flu in Delhi and people should not get panicked. The government is taking all necessary steps and the citizens must show patience at this point of time," said N.K. Yadav, deputy municipal health officer, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).
India is the sixth largest producer of eggs and fifth largest in broiler chicken output. It produced 43 billion eggs and 1.7 billion broilers in 2005, according to poultry industry estimates. However, exports constitute a small portion of the production, with the Gulf region being the biggest market for Indian poultry.
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