In New Delhi, US Ambassador to India David Mulford told reporters: “We have an experience that bird flu spreads very quickly, so it needs to be tackled fast. Though no case of human beings having contracted the disease have been reported, it has to be nipped in the bud before it moves forward.”

The US government approached the Ministry of External Affairs last week to say it could provide technical support to the West Bengal government for surveillance and diagnosis of the virus — both, in human beings, in case the virus travels to them, and in poultry. It also offered to provide protection gear and other equipment for workers involved in controlling the outbreak. The Centre, sources said, welcomed the offer but it was still to hear from the West Bengal government whether it needed any such help. The US also offered to look for availability of the Tamiflu syrup in global stocks and facilitate supply of any equipment or medicine in case India needed it. Tamiflu is the most effective medicine against bird flu in human beings and is available both in tablet and syrup forms, the latter meant for children.

“The United States and India are global partners, working together on influenza surveillance. By working together, we share information and ideas and learn from each other about best practices to fight avian influenza and contain possible pandemic,” said a US Embassy spokesperson.

Since it was first detected on January 4, the bird flu virus has spread to 13 districts in West Bengal, making it the worst outbreak of the disease in India.

In Kolkata, West Bengal’s Minister for Animal Resources Development Anisur Rehman told The Indian Express: “We have been offered help from the US government and the Chief Minister has asked the Chief Secretary to talk to them on how they can help us.” Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss has convened a meeting of officials tomorrow in New Delhi which will be attended by West Bengal’s Resident Commissioner in Delhi.

“It was the US Consul General in Kolkata, Henry Jardine, who came up with the help offer. But without the Centre's permission, we cannot do anything. So we will ask the Union Government to get in touch with the US government on how they plan to help us. Will they help us in culling operations or do they want to provide us medicines and kits? All these things will have to be ascertained. We have briefed our Resident Commissioner in Delhi who is going to meet the Union Health Minister tomorrow,” Chief Secretary Amit Kiran Deb told The Indian Express.

Meanwhile, China’s Consul General in Kolkata, Mao Siwei, has also offered help. Confirming this, Deb said: “The Chinese Consul General came to us and we asked him how his country planned to help us. He said he would get back to us soon.”