News Analysis India

Tag: Bird Flu

  • Bird flu: Over 3,400 birds culled in Maharashtra’s Parbhani; samples taken from Delhi’s Ghazipur market test negative

    By PTI
    AURANGABAD: More than 3,400 poultry birds have been culled at a village in Maharashtra’s Parbhani district after bird flu was confirmed as the cause of death of hundreds of hens there, a senior official said on Thursday.

    Last week, around 900 hens died at a poultry farm in Murumba village of Parbhani.

    The district administration later decided to cull birds in one-km radius of the place where the deaths took place.

    “The culling of birds was undertaken on Wednesday. A total of 3,443 birds were culled till last night,” Parbhani collector Deepak Muglikar told PTI.

    Samples of some dead birds from Kupta village have also been sent to a lab for testing, he said.

    “There is no adverse report till now from anywhere else in the district. Residents of the Murumba village are fine and have no flu symptoms,” the official said.

    Earlier, over 11,000 birds were culled in Kendrewadi and Sukni villages of Latur to stop the spread of bird flu infection, Collector B P Prithviraj said on Wednesday.

    He said a report is awaited on the samples of birds found dead in Vanjarwadi village of Latur.

    At least 225 birds died in Kendrewadi till Monday, while 12 hens died in Sukni and four in Wanjarwadi of Udgir taluka in Latur district.

    Samples of dead birds from Kendrewadi and Sukni were sent for testing and their results came out positive for the avian infleunza infection, an official earlier said.

    Over 2,000 bird deaths have been recorded in Maharashtra since January 8 when the outbreak of bird flu was noticed in the state.

    Cases of the avian influenza have been reported from Mumbai, Thane, Parbhani, Latur, Beed and Dapoli (Ratnagiri).

    Samples of dead birds from some other districts have also been sent to labs in Bhopal and Pune for testing, officials earlier said.

    All 100 samples taken from the Ghazipur poultry mandi, Asia’s largest chicken market, have tested negative for bird flu, officials said on Thursday.

    The results come three days after samples taken from crows and ducks in the national capital tested positive for avian influenza.

    This had led to the Delhi government on Monday banning the sale of processed and packaged chicken brought from outside the city.

    The government had also shut down the poultry market for 10 days as a precautionary measure.

    “Test results of 104 samples arrived on Wednesday evening. Of these, 100 samples were collected from 35 poultry birds in the Ghazipur market. All samples have tested negative for bird flu,” senior Animal Husbandry Unit officer Rakesh Singh said.

    “It means there is no spread of avian influenza in poultry birds in Delhi,” he said.

    The remaining four samples of Heron birds were taken from the Hastsal Park and bird flu is suspected in these four cases, Singh said, adding that these samples have been sent from a Jalandhar-based lab to Bhopal for confirmation.

    Civic authorities had on Wednesday imposed a temporary ban on sale and storage of poultry or processed chicken meat in view of the bird flu situation here.

    The three municipal corporations of the city had warned establishments like restaurants and shops of strict action, including cancellation of their licence, if they fail to comply with the orders.

    Officials had earlier said that 10 samples from three areas, Mayur Vihar Phase-3, Sanjay Lake and Dwarka Sector-9, tested positive for avian influenza.

    A drive to cull ducks was conducted on Monday at the Sanjay Lake, where several of these were found dead.

  • Maharashtra: Over 11,000 birds culled in Latur district amid bird flu fear

    By PTI
    AURANGABAD: Over 11,000 birds have been culled in Kendrewadi and Sukni villages in Latur district of Maharashtra to stop the spread of bird flu infection, a senior official said on Wednesday.

    He said report on the sample of birds found dead in Vanjarwadi village, also in Latur district, is awaited.

    “The administration has culled 11,064 birds in Kendrewadi and Sukni villages in the radius of one-km of the area where samples of birds had tested positive for bird flu. The culling process in these two villages is complete. We will send a report to the state government by tomorrow,” Latur collector B P Prithviraj told PTI.

    At least 225 birds had died in Kendrewadi till Monday, while 12 hens died in Sukni and four in Wanjarwadi of Udgir taluka in Latur district.

    Samples of dead birds from Kendrewadi and Sukni were sent for testing and their results came out positive for the avian infleunza infection, an official had said, adding that reports of samples from Wanjarwadi are awaited.

    Meanwhile, a white-breasted Kingfisher was found dead in the Himayat Bagh area of Aurangabad city.

    The carcass of the bird is handed over to the Animal Husbandry department, an official said, adding that the sample will be sent to Pune for testing on Thursday.

    “There was no tracheal discharge seen in this bird,” Dr Vallabh Joshi of animal husbandry department hospital said.

    As many as 2,359 birds have died in various parts of Maharashtra since January 8, when the first such death due to avian influenza was reported, officials have said.

    Separately, as the samples of dead crows found in Mumbai have confirmed the presence of an avian influenza strain, anxious citizens have started calling the helpline of the civic body.

    The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s disaster control helpline received 170 calls about bird deaths in the last 24 hours, a civic official said on Wednesday.

    Mumbai had reported its first cases of bird flu earlier this week after samples taken from two dead crows tested positive for the infection.

    Following this, the civic body on Monday appealed to citizens to contact its helpline number 1916, if they come across any bird deaths.

    The disaster control helpline received 170 complaints about bird deaths from 7 am on Tuesday till 7 am on Wednesday, the official said, adding that a few of these may be repeated complaints.

    The day before, the civic body had received 55 complaints in a single shift between 7 am to 3 pm.

    As per the directives under “Avian influenza action plan to control and prevent revised guidelines 2021,” the dead birds have to be disposed of by burying them in a pit.

  • Bird Flu: Unusual mortality reported in some districts of Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Bird flu has been confirmed in 9 states and 1 Union Territory so far while cases of unusual mortality have been reported in some districts of Jharkhand and Jammu & Kashmir, the Centre on Wednesday said, and asked the state governments not to ban supply of poultry products.

    Till Monday, the bird flu outbreak was confirmed in Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat.

    “Cases of Avian Influenza have been confirmed in 10 states, as on 13 January, 2021. Further, cases of unnatural mortality of birds have been reported in Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir and 4 districts of Jharkhand,” the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying said in a statement.

    The ministry asked states to ensure that the infection does not spread among poultry as it would lead to heavy economic loss for the poultry farmers.

    “It was found that many states are banning supply of poultry and poultry products from other states. As this would add to the negative impact on the poultry industry, the states were requested to reconsider such decision,” the statement said.

    On Tuesday, a virtual conference was organised under the chairmanship of the Secretary of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying.

    The meeting was attended by representatives from 17 states. In the meeting, states were advised to efficiently manage the spread of Avian Influenza in their respective states in accordance with the Action Plan 2021.

    “To deal with the situation the states were asked to coordinate with the department of health and forest and sensitize them about the issue. States were also asked to maintain sufficient supply of protective equipment and maintain biosecurity measures in poultry farms,” the statement said.

    The state governments were told to identify BSL-II labs at the state level for speeding up the identification of infection in the state and timely introduction of control mechanism.

    The ministry said awareness generating activities through newspaper advertisements and seminars are being conducted by several states.

    “The states were encouraged to continue such awareness generation activities with support from their state Directorate of Information and Public Relations and were assured about availability of funds for such activities,” it said.

    It also asked states to issue advisories on dos and don’ts regarding consumption of poultry and eggs, so as to avoid spreading of rumours/misinformation thereby leading to economic loss for the poultry farmers.

  • Bird flu: Jaipur Zoo shut down after rare stork dies

    By Express News Service
    JAIPUR: The Jaipur Zoo has been shut down indefinitely after the deaths of a rare black stork and three common ducks on Monday. The deaths add fuel to the fear of bird flu, which has till date claimed the lives of 3,000 birds across 15 of the 33 districts in Rajasthan.

    Sources said that the Jaipur Zoo was being sanitized as officials said that besides the four deaths, several birds were sick. Samples have been sent to Bhopal for test to identify the exact cause of deaths. Medical tests are being conducted on all birds in the zoo.

    ALSO READ | Bird deaths reported in Jharkhand, UP; Centre issues advisories on testing, culling operations

    A fortnight ago, several crows that had died in Jaipur were found to be infected. Given the fear of bird flu, authorities have started spraying sodium hypochlorate in a bid to preventing the spread.Chief Wildlife Warden Mohanlal Meena said, “After the four birds were found dead on Monday, the zoo was sanitised and closed. Samples of bird carcasses from 15 districts have been sent to a Bhopal lab for tests.”

    Bird flu or avian influenza has already been confirmed in 15 of the 33 districts, including Jaipur, Dausa, Sawai Madhopur, Hanumangarh, Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Chittorgarh, Pali, Baran, Kota, Banswara, Sirohi, and Pratapgarh. On Monday, bird flu was confirmed in Tonk and Karauli.

    In Rajasthan, around 400 birds, besides the 2,600 crows, have fallen prey to the flu. The list includes 190 peacocks and 195 pigeons. In view of the threat of bird flu, the Rajasthan government has cancelled the holidays of all employees working at animal parks and bird sanctuaries. The condition at the bird sanctuary in Bharatpur district is under control. Most water points and wetlands are still protected from the scourge. No bird deaths has been reported from the sanctuary.

  • Bird flu jolts ‘Captain Cool’ MS Dhoni’s Kadaknath chicken farming dream

    By Express News Service
    BHOPAL: Former Indian cricket team skipper MS Dhoni’s dream of Kadaknath breed chicken farming at his sprawling farm in Ranchi has been hit by the bird flu outbreak in Madhya Pradesh.

    Samples from the Kadakanth chicken farm operated by local Kadaknath farmer Vinod Meda in the Jhabua district have tested positive for the killer Avian Influenza virus.

    It was Meda who had reportedly got an order for the supply of 2,000 Kadaknath chicks to the farm owned by Dhoni in Ranchi. Dhoni’s farm managers had also credited advance sums into Meda’s bank account for the supply of the chicks.

    It was in August 2020 that Dhoni’s farm managers had got in touch with Meda through the Krishi Vikas Kendra (KVK) and MP Kadaknath mobile phone app. Subsequently, Meda had secured the order.

    Confirming the development, the state’s director (animal husbandry) Dr RK Rokde said on Tuesday that four-five days ago, samples of Kadaknath chicken from a poultry farm in the Jhabua district had been sent to the National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD-Bhopal).

    “We received a letter from NIHSAD Bhopal on Tuesday informing that Kadaknath chicken samples from that poultry farm in Runipada village of Jhabua district’s Thandla block have tested positive for the Bird flu causing H5N1 virus,” Dr Rokde said.

    “Subsequently, the deputy director (animal husbandry) in Jhabua district has been directed to act in the matter as per the central government’s Bird flu Action Plan 2021, which includes culling, compensation, disposal of poultry, feed material, eggs, etc. Clean-up and the disinfection-sanitization process will also be subsequently initiated at the concerned poultry farm. Further, treating the one km radius of the farm as Infected Zone, the chicks in the other poultry farms of the infected zone will also be culled,” he added.

    ALSO READ | MP’s black chicken variety Kadaknath wins over Captain Cool MS Dhoni

    The re-stocking and commercial movement of chicks aged up to three months will be banned in the infected zone. Further, a 9 km area in the radius of the infected zone will be treated as a surveillance zone owing to which surveillance and sample collection of chicks from farms and shops will take place.

    Acting on the directives from Bhopal, an official team headed by Jhabua district deputy director (animal husbandry) Wilson Dabar and Tehsildar (Thandla) Shakti Singh Chauhan led a team to Meda’s farm in the evening at Runipada’s village. The team culled 799 Kadaknath chicken from Meda’s farm. A total of 935 Kadaknath chicken (including 135 chickens which had already died due to the killer virus before the team arrived) from the concerned were subsequently disposed of as per the standard safety protocol.

    Totally devastated, the young farmer Vinod Meda had tears in his eyes. “I’m totally devastated, I had to supply the chicks to MS Dhoni’s farm in Ranchi on January 10, but a week before that my Kadaknath chickens and chicks started dying suddenly. I lost up to 2,500 chicks-chicken due to it. I reported the matter to local administration, after which samples from my farm were sent for testing in Bhopal. I got to know about the Bird flu confirmation report this evening only,” Medha said.

    Also known as ‘Kali Masi’, the black chicken variety ‘Kadaknath’ is a unique chicken breed that’s black in colour, which is found in the tribal-dominated Jhabua district of MP’s Bheelanchal region. The Kadaknath chicken meat from Jhabua had also got GI tag in 2018 after a legal battle with Chhattisgarh. This chicken variety is believed to possess inherent medicinal properties with high protein and low cholesterol and fat content when compared to other chicken varieties.

    According to state Director (Animal Husbandry) Dr. RK Rokde, “Following Tuesday’s development, Jhabua district has become our state’s first district, where indigenously bread chicks-chicken samples at a poultry farm have been found to be Bird flu positive. Earlier, in three districts, Indore, Neemuch, and Agar-Malwa, swab samples of chicken extracted from tables and knives of chicken-poultry shops in the market had been found Avian Influenza positive. All those shops stored chicken sourced from farms outside MP.”

    Following this, nearly 500 chickens at shops in the infected zone of Indore, Agar-Malwa, and Neemuch districts were culled and disposed of.

    The Bird flu outbreak has now been confirmed in 19 districts of MP following the deaths of around 1400 crows, bagula (heron) and other birds.  

  • Bird deaths reported in Jharkhand, UP; Centre issues advisories on testing, culling operations

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Fresh bird deaths were reported in Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday amid cases of avian influenza in 10 states and union territories, with the Centre saying it has issued advisories regarding testing protocols and maintaining sufficient stock of PPE kits required for culling operations.

    In Uttarakhand, where nearly 300 birds, mostly crows, have died over the last few days, a high alert has been sounded after samples tested positive for influenza, while in Maharashtra, a culling exercise was ordered in parts of Latur district.

    Till Monday, the bird flu outbreak was confirmed in Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, and Gujarat.

    “Till January 12, 2021, additional cases of avian influenza (H5N8) have been confirmed among dead crows in HCL-Khetri Nagar in Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan,” the fisheries, animal husbandry, and dairying ministry said in a statement.

    The avian influenza strain H5N1 has also been confirmed in dead crows and a pelican at the zoological park in Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh as well as in dead crows in Jagnoli and Fatehpur village in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district.

    The confirmation of H5N1 in poultry samples from Madhya Pradesh’s Jhabua district was received on Tuesday from the National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) in Bhopal, it said.

    “The department of animal husbandry and dairying has issued an advisory on testing protocols to states, encouraging them to undertake screening at the state level ensuring suitable bio secure facilities,” the statement said.

    The ministry said that states have been advised to maintain sufficient stock of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits and accessories required for culling operations.

    In Jharkhand, a large number of crows, mynas and herons were found dead at a village in Dumka district, officials said.

    Forty to fifty birds were found dead at Pokharia village on Monday, District Animal Husbandry Officer Awadhesh Kumar Singh said.

    Samples have been collected and sent for examination to Ranchi, he said, adding that the test reports would confirm if it is bird flu or there was any other reason for the deaths.

    The dead birds have been buried with all precautions and people have been urged to remain vigilant about such incidents, Singh said.

    The administration in Maharashtra’s Latur district has ordered culling of birds in Kendrewadi and Sukni villages after samples collected from these areas were found positive for bird flu, an official said.

    Latur District Collector Pruthviraj B P has ordered culling of birds in an one-km radius from where birds infected with avian influenza were found in these villages.

    Officials said that at least 225 birds have died in Kendrewadi till Monday, while 12 hens have died in Sukni and four in Wanjarwadi of Udgir taluka.

    Maharashtra Animal Husbandry Minister Sunil Kedar said the government will soon take steps to ensure that unorganised players engaged in poultry farming get insurance cover.

    Talking to reporters, the minister also said that a mention will be made in this regard in the forthcoming budget of the state government.

    Following the confirmation of avian influenza in Uttar Pradesh with the samples of a couple of dead birds in the Kanpur zoo found positive for the disease, the administration in Hamirpur, Chitrakoot and Banda districts in Bundelkhand are exercising extreme caution.

    Some herons and crows were found dead near the Bharua Sumerpur railway station in Hamirpur.

    Veterinary Officer Pankaj Sachan said the birds possibly died due to excessive cold, but “even then the samples have been sent for examination”.

    The carcasses of the birds were burnt and buried. He also informed that serum samples of hens from farms have been sent to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) Bareilly for testing.

    People consuming eggs and chicken have been advised to cook the food at a temperature of at least 70 degrees Celsius.

    In Chitrakoot, four teams have been formed to tackle bird flu, and around 200 hens in different farms of Bargarh and Ahmadganj were culled on Monday.

    In Shamli district, a college was shut for a day for sanitization after the carcass of a migratory bird was found in its compound, amid the outbreak of bird flu in the state.

    The sample has been sent for testing, officials said. A high alert has been sounded across Uttarakhand with the samples of two dead crows testing positive for bird flu in the state.

    Samples of the dead crows sent to NIHSAD tested positive for avian influenza on Monday, forest officials confirmed.

    With the confirmation of bird flu in Uttarakhand a high alert has been sounded across the state, state Animal Husbandry Minister Rekha Arya said.

    “However, so far bird flu has been confirmed only in wild birds in Uttarakhand. The poultry sector is by far free from the virus,” Arya said.

    Nearly 300 birds mostly crows have been found dead in different parts of Uttarakhand including Dehradun, Rishikesh and Kotdwar over the past few days.

    While a majority of the carcasses have been safely buried, some of them have been sent for testing to NIHSAD and IVRI. Telangana Animal Husbandry Minister T Srinivas Yadav said there is no bird flu in the state and various preventive measures have been initiated.

    There is no harm in consuming chicken and eggs, he said.

    Yadav held a meeting here with the representatives of the poultry industry, scientists, and animal husbandry officials along with state Health Minister Eatala Rajender as per the directives of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, an official release said.

    The minister said 276 samples tested in Nalgonda, Peddapalli, and Warangal districts following reports of deaths of chickens turned out to be negative.

    Another 1,000 samples tested during the last three days have also been found negative.

  • Bird flu: Centre asks states to maintain sufficient stock of PPE kits

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Centre on Tuesday said it has issued advisories to states regarding testing protocols for bird flu and also asked them to maintain sufficient stock of PPE kits and accessories required for culling operations.

    Till Monday, bird flu outbreak was confirmed in 10 states — Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat.

    “Till 12 January 2021, additional cases of Avian Influenza (H5N8) has been confirmed among dead crows in HCL-Khetri Nagar in Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan,” the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying said in a statement.

    Avian influenza (H5N1) has also been confirmed in dead crows and pelican in zoological park, Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh as well as in dead crows in Jagnoli and Fatehpur village in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh.

    The confirmation of avian influenza (H5N1) in poultry sample from Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh has been received on Tuesday from NIHSAD (National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases, Bhopal), it added.

    “The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying has issued an advisory on a testing protocol to states, encouraging them to undertake screening at state level ensuring suitable biosecure facilities,” the statement said.

    A central team has been deputed to visit Maharashtra and Gujarat to monitor the epicenters of the avian influenza outbreak in those states.

    “Constant efforts to generate awareness about Avian Influenza and how to deal with the situation is being shared among the general public through various media platforms including social media platforms like twitter,” the statement said.

    The ministry said states have been advised to maintain sufficient stock of PPE kits and accessories required for culling operations.

  • Collector took poultry farm operators meeting on bird flu, formed rapid action team

    The administration has also started taking precautions in view of the nationwide bird flu risk. Raipur Collector held a meeting with the poultry farm operators on this subject. Animal Directorate officials and all poultry form operators attended the meeting. The district administration asked for immediate information on the unusual death of chickens. The Collector has instructed all poultry form operators to remain alert regarding bird flu. He has also set up a rapid action team to take immediate action.

  • Maharashtra to cull 80K fowls after confirmed bird flu report

    By Express News Service
    MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government has ordered culling of 80,000 poultry after the state reported its first bird flu case in Parbhani district.

    Over 800 poultry, mainly chicken, had died in Muraba village of the district in recent days. Kupta village in the same district reported 500 poultry deaths. The flu was confirmed when samples from these villages were sent for a lab test.

    Instances of birds dying have been reported from other parts of the state also. Maharashtra Animal Husbandry Minister Sunil Kedar on Monday said the district administration of Parbhani has initiated steps to cull over 80,000 birds. 

  • Bird flu spreads to 10 states; Centre allays fears of transmission to humans

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Hundreds of birds were reported dead in different parts of the country on Monday as the raging bird flu spread to 10 states and Union Territories, prompting several control measures and a government assurance that there are no scientific reports of the virus’ transmission to humans.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked all state governments to remain alert and ensure a constant vigil near places such as water bodies, zoos and poultry farms.

    He expressed hope that through proper coordination between Forest, Health and Animal Husbandry Departments, “we will be able to overcome this challenge soon”.

    Officials also tried to allay fears of those consuming poultry products, saying there is no risk of infection from fully cooked chicken, or boiled and cooked eggs as the virus cannot withstand high temperatures.

    Delhi, Uttarakhand and Maharashtra on Monday confirmed bird flu cases, adding to the list of seven states — Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh – which had already reported avian deaths due to the disease.

    While states announced several measures including mass culling of poultry, ban on live birds markets and restriction on chicken and related food materials, the Centre asked them not to close mandis or impede the sales of poultry products.

    Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister Giriraj Singh said there have been no scientific reports on transmission of bird flu to humans and consumers should not be scared.

    The Centre also directed states to maintain adequate stock of PPE kits and accessories required for culling operations.

    The Delhi government imposed a ban on the sale of processed and packaged chicken brought from outside the city, as samples of ducks from Sanjay Lake tested positive for bird flu.

    “But there is no need to panic about bird flu. It is a common influenza,” Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said. Dr Rakesh Singh from the animal husbandry unit of the Development Department said a drive to cull ducks has begun at Sanjay Lake, where several ducks were found dead in the last few days.

    In neighboring Haryana, culling of infected birds is underway to control the spread of the disease.

    A central team was visiting Himachal Pradesh and Panchkula for carrying out monitoring of the epicenter sites and conducting an epidemiological investigation.

    The Lucknow Zoo in Uttar Pradesh, meanwhile, suspended its bird exchange program and closed its aviary for visitors after samples of a couple of bird carcasses in Kanpur Zoo were found positive.

    The Kanpur Zoological Park has already been closed for visitors till further orders.

    In Shahjahanpur’s Kalaan three ducks were found dead on Friday morning, with officials saying sample from other ducks will be sent to Bareilly for testing.

    In Ballia, carcasses of five crows were found on Sunday night in Sahatwar police station area.

    Chief veterinary officer of the district Ashok Mishra said, “The forest department has taken all the carcasses in its custody and those were being sent to Bhopal for testing.”

    In Maharashtra, avian influenza has been confirmed as the cause of death of different birds in Parbhani, Mumbai, Thane, Beed and Dapoli in Maharashtra, as per test reports of a Bhopal-based lab.

    Parbhani Collector Deepak Muglikar told PTI that bird flu has been confirmed as the cause of death of around 900 hens at a poultry farm in Murumba village and the district administration has decided to cull nearly 8,000 birds in the village.

    The culling may begin from Tuesday. According to the Bhopal-based ICAR-National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), two crows from Mumbai died due to bird flu.

    Three pond egrets and a parrot from Thane were infected by the H5N1 avian influenza virus, the institute’s test report said.

    Besides, a chicken and two herons from Parbhani too died of H5N1 avian influenza virus, while crows from Beed and Dapoli (in Ratnagiri district) were infected by H5N8 avian influenza virus, as per the report.

    Bird flu cases have been confirmed in Gujarat’s Surat and Vadodara districts as some samples of dead crows from there have tested positive for the avian influenza.

    In Uttarakhand, nearly 200 birds, mostly crows, were found dead in Dehradun and Rishikesh, officials said.

    Chief Wildlife Warden JS Suhag said the samples of the dead birds have been sent to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute in Bareilly to ascertain the cause of their death.

    More than 30 birds were found dead at different places in and around Rishikesh, triggering a bird-flu scare in the town.