News Analysis India

Tag: Bird Flu

  • Bird Flu outbreak in chicken, other birds brings poultry sales down by 30% in Madhya Pradesh

    By Express News Service
    BHOPAL: Chicken and poultry sales in Madhya Pradesh have taken a beating in the wake of the bird flu outbreak in at least eight districts.

    Representatives of the chicken and poultry farms from Bhopal and other districts met with senior officials of the state animal husbandry department on Friday and informed them about their business having taken a beating of around 30% due to the Bird Flu related restrictions and scare among the public.

    According to reports from major cities of MP, the sale of chicken has actually dipped by 30-50% in some cities, including Jabalpur, Indore and Bhopal.

    ALSO READ | Bird Flu: ‘Noticeable dip’ in chicken sales, say shopkeepers in Delhi

    Confirming the meeting with the representatives of the chicken-poultry farms, the state’s Director (Animal Husbandry) Dr RK Rokde told The New Indian Express that so far the outbreak of the Bird Flu among birds and chicken has been reported from eight districts, including Indore, Neemuch, Guna, Agar-Malwa, Mandsaur, Khandwa and Khargone.

    The samples of dead crows from CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s home district Sehore, however, have tested negative for the avian influenza virus.

    “Test reports of dead birds and crows from 12 other districts, however, are still awaited,” Rokde added.

    Meanwhile, in fresh development sudden deaths of around 23 crows, bagula (heron) and even a koyal have been reported from various parts of the state’s most populated city, Indore.

    The deaths of these birds have been reported from localities like Residency area as well localities near the Indore Municipal Corporation and Depalpur area of rural Indore.

    As a precautionary measure, chicken-poultry sales and commercial movement of chicken and poultry products from farms to shops in Indore district has been banned for next seven days.

    Sale of mutton too has been banned as most of the chicken shops are also into the business of red meat. “The 17 chicken shops in Moosakhedi area (which are situated in the vicinity of Residency-Daly College area where crows’ deaths were reported first) have been sealed.

    It was from one of these chicken shops only that swab samples extracted from chicken cutting knife and table top had tested positive for the Bird Flu virus on Thursday,” Indore district deputy director (animal husbandry) Dr Pramod Sharma said.

    “Also, 197 birds (chicken) from the 17 sealed shops in Moosakhedi area of Indore, have been culled and all these shops have been sanitized and disinfected too. Surveillance of chicken-poultry shops in the 10 km area of these shops in Indore is presently underway,” Sharma said.  

  • Sudden death of crows sounds alarm of Bird flu in State

    Panic gripped the Balod district after three crows all of a sudden fell dead while in flight at village Paudi. The incident has triggered suspicion that the dreaded Bird flu has reached Chhattisgarh as well. However, whether the crows died their natural death or due to Bird flu or due to any other reason, are yet to be ascertained. But the officials are not taking any chances and have initiated preventive measures. It is worth mentioning here that alert on Bird flu outbreak has already been sounded in Chhattisgarh, after confirmed cases of Bird flu were found in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh and five other states in country. Accordingly, the Chhattisgarh Animal Husbandry Department has issued extensive guidelines in this direction. The incident happened on Wednesday evening at village Paudi under Balod district, when three crows all of a sudden fell on the ground while flying and after some time they died. Out of panic, the villagers immediately burnt two crows and information was given to the District Administration. The District Administration immediately rushed a team from the Animal Husbandry Department to the village which clutched the third crow and necessary samples were collected and procedure for sending the samples to National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal initiated through the State Level Disease Investigation Laboratory, Raipur. In the meanwhile, the Balod District Administration constituted teams for contacting people connected with poultry business (population at risk) and to make them aware about zoonotic importance and prevention of Bird flu disease. People connected with backyard poultry and commercial poultry have been asked to report immediately to the nearest veterinary centre about if they witness abnormal diseases and deaths in birds. Reacting on the developments, Balod Collector Janmejay Mahobe said to media persons that information regarding crows sudden death have been taken up by the veterinary department and have initiated necessary action. He said that the deaths could be routine or might be due to Bird flu or otherwise, which will be ascertained from test results. However, alerts have been sounded across the district and at the state-level. Veterinary Department has been alerted to monitor whether any kind of bulk deaths of birds are coming to fore or has been reported from any part of the district. Also people engaged in backyard poultry and commercial poultry business have been alerted as well. Although it is yet to be ascertained whether the crows died due to Bird flu or otherwise, considering the confirmed cases of Bird flu in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh and five other states in the country, it is being anticipated that the Bird flu has stepped into Chhattisgarh.

  • Madhya Pradesh chicken samples test bird flu positive

    By Express News Service
    BHOPAL/DEHRADUN: Bird flu, which was felling crows in Madhya Pradesh, has spread to poultry fowls, with samples from chicken shops in Indore and Neemuch testing positive.

    The spread has been reported among the shikra in Khargone, and bagula (heron) birds in Khandwa districts.

    According to Director Animal Husbandry, Madhya Pradesh, R K Rokde, bird flu outbreak has been detected among dead crows and other birds in eight districts, including Indore, Agar-Malwa, Neemuch, Mandsaur, Khargone, Dewas, Guna, and Khandwa.

    “We have ordered the closure of all poultry and chicken stalls for a week in one-km radius of shops from where samples were found positive. Surveillance of poultry shops and farms within 10-km radius of the poultry-chicken shops concerned has been started,” Rokde told TNIE.  

    “We are now trying to ascertain the source of chicken at the stalls in Indore and Neemuch. If the chickens were locally supplied, then samples will be from a broader region. If the source is from outside the state, we will alert the governments concerned,” he said.

    Meanwhile, Uttarakhand banned the import of poultry products from all states affected by bird flu. Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat reiterated the need to be cautious and temporarily halted any transaction in poultry products.

    The order follows the advisory to mount vigil in the wake of bird flu cases in neighbouring states.

    There are around 14,500 poultry centres across 13 districts in the state. Officials are keeping a tight watch on migratory from Russia, Iran, and other Asian countries.

  • Bird flu outbreak: Centre asks all states to be prepared for any eventuality

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Centre on Thursday said bird flu has been confirmed only in Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh so far, but all states should be prepared for any eventuality.

    States have been told to ensure sufficient stock of PPE kits and accessories required for culling operations.

    They have also been asked to create awareness among public that it is safe to consume poultry products after following boiling/cooking procedures.

    ALSO READ: Bird flu outbreak – Central team takes stock of situation in Kerala

    The Secretary in the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying held a meeting with the states to understand the status of the outbreak of avian influenza (bird flu) and to suggest measures for control, containment and prevention of spread of the disease, an official statement said.

    An unusual mortality of poultry, crows, migratory birds has been reported from Kerala, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh.

    “So far, the disease has been confirmed only from four states (Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh). Culling operations are underway in the affected districts of Kerala,” the statement said.

    ALSO READ: Government confirms bird flu cases in Rajasthan, Kerala, Himachal and MP

    In the meeting, it was emphasized that besides increasing surveillance around water bodies, live bird markets, zoos, poultry farms, etc. proper disposal of carcass and strengthening of biosecurity in poultry farms should be ensured.

    “States were requested to be prepared for any eventuality of avian influenza and were requested to ensure sufficient stock of PPE kits and accessories required for culling operations,” the statement said.

    Besides ensuring collection of representative samples and timely submission to the designated laboratories (RDDLs/CDDL/ICAR-NIHSAD), the Centre has asked state animal husbandry departments to ensure effective communication and coordination with health authorities for close vigilance on the outbreak and avoid any chances of jumping of the disease into humans.

    ALSO READ: Bird flu – Madhya Pradesh govt bans chicken trade with some southern states

    Effective coordination with the state forest departments was also emphasized for immediate reporting of any unusual mortalities in non-domestic birds in forest areas and around water bodies.

    The Centre has already issued advisories to the affected states regarding increasing and intensifying surveillance for unusual mortality of birds including wild/migratory birds.

    It has also established a central control room to strategize, co-ordinate and facilitate state governments with regard to outbreak management, disease control and containment.

    ALSO READ: Punjab issues advisory for surveillance of poultry farms, wetlands amid bird flu scare

    Moreover, two central teams have been deployed to visit the affected states of Kerala, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh for monitoring and for epidemiological investigation.

    That apart, the department along with Secretary, National Disaster Management Authority held a meeting with all states’ officials of the Health Department, Animal Husbandry Department and State Disaster Management authorities to take stock of preparedness and to advise on intensive surveillance in affected areas.

    “Awareness among poultry farmers and the general public (consumers of eggs and chicken) about the disease is of foremost importance. So states have been asked to quell consumer reactions, affected by rumours and increase awareness regarding safety of poultry or poultry products that were safe for consumption following boiling/cooking procedures,” the statement said.

  • Bird flu outbreak no longer confined to crows in Madhya Pradesh, chicken samples also test positive

    By Express News Service
    BHOPAL: The killer bird flu virus is no longer confined to just dead crows in parts of Madhya Pradesh, but has also been found in samples of chicken at shops in Indore and Neemuch, besides being present in shikras in Khargone district and herons in Khandwa district.

    According to Madhya Pradesh Director (Animal Husbandry) RK Rokde, the avian influenza outbreak has now been reported among dead crows and other birds in eight districts including Indore, Agar-Malwa, Neemuch, Mandsaur, Khargone, Dewas, Guna and Khandwa.

    The killer virus has also been found present in bagula (heron) samples in Khandwa, shikra samples in Khargone and chicken samples in Indore and Neemuch district, he added.

    So far, the sudden death of around 700 crows has been reported from various parts of MP, particularly the western regions of the state.

    ALSO READ: Government confirms bird flu cases in Rajasthan, Kerala, Himachal and MP

    According to the latest information, the swab samples of chicken from poultry shops in some parts of Indore and Neemuch have tested positive for the avian influenza virus.

    Bird Flu not just confined to crows in MP. Poultry (chicken) samples at shops in Neemuch and Indore test positive for Avian Influenza virus. With this sample of crows, chicken and heron in 8 districts found infected: Director (Animal Husbandry). @NewIndianXpress @TheMornStandard pic.twitter.com/xbtcCOFohh
    — Anuraag Singh (@anuraag_niebpl) January 7, 2021

    While Indore is MP’s most populated city and has also reported the maximum COVID-19 cases and related deaths, Neemuch district neighbours Rajasthan.

    “We’ve issued directions to close for one week all poultry and chicken shops in one km radius of those shops from where samples have been found to be positive for the killer virus in tests conducted at the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD-Bhopal). Also, surveillance of other poultry shops and farms within 10 km radius of the concerned poultry-chicken shops has been started,” Rokde told The New Indian Express.

    ALSO READ: Punjab issues advisory for surveillance of poultry farms, wetlands amid bird flu scare

    “We’re now trying to ascertain the source of poultry chicken at the concerned shops in Indore and Neemuch. If the chicken supplied to these shops is local or within the state, then samples of birds will be collected from such local poultry farms and sent for testing. If the source of chicken at these shops of Indore and Neemuch is found to be from outside MP, then we’ll write to the concerned state governments to get samples from concerned poultry farms tested for the bird flu virus,” he informed.

    As per informed sources, the poultry chicken in shops in Indore and Neemuch (whose samples have tested for bird flu virus) could possibly have been sourced from a northern state.  

    With presence of the avian influenza causing virus now being detected in samples from chicken shops in Indore and Neemuch, the state health department will screen owners and employees of those shops and get their swab samples tested. Extensive door to door checking of bird flu like symptoms in the human population living in areas contiguous to those shops will also be conducted by the health department in Indore and Neemuch.

    ALSO READ: Bird flu – Madhya Pradesh govt bans chicken trade with some southern states

    In the wake of the bird flu outbreak being reported in Kerala, the MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan had on Wednesday announced a ban on all poultry-chicken consignments from Kerala and neighbouring southern states.

    Also, the Mandsaur district administration has already banned sale of poultry chicken in one km radius of the spot in Mandsaur town where sudden deaths of dozens of crows were reported recently and the samples of dead crows had subsequently tested positive for avian influenza. The district administration in both Neemuch and Mandsaur districts (both bordering Rajasthan) has banned poultry consignments from other districts/states.

    Agar town in Agar-Malwa district (which also neighbours Rajasthan) too has banned sale of poultry chicken in the town limits, while administration in Panna district of Bundelkhand region to has issued similar orders banning sale of poultry chicken.

  • Bird flu, Maharashtra issues red alert though no cases reported yet

    By ANI
    MUMBAI: After many states reported cases of bird flu, the Maharashtra government has issued a red alert in the state and asked the district officials to keep a strict vigil, said state’s Animal Husbandry Minister Sunil Kedar on Thursday.

    Speaking to ANI, Kedar informed that till today no case of bird flu has been reported in Maharashtra.

    “As per the information that we have, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh have confirmed of bird flu. Because Maharashtra shares borders with some of these states, we have asked district authorities to keep a strict vigil and issued a red alert in the state. If any case is reported, we have made arrangements for vaccines and medicines,” said the minister.

    When asked about the dead birds found in Thane district on Wednesday, Kedar said the samples from the dead were sent for testing and were found negative for the Avian Influenza virus.

    “If the bird flu breaks out in the state, it will be difficult to manage the situation especially when the situation of Coronavirus is delicate in Maharashtra. I have called a meeting with the Animal Husbandry Commissioner today to take the stock of the situation,” the minister said further.

    Yesterday, Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Giriraj Singh said migratory birds are the reason behind the spread of bird flu in the country.

    Avian influenza (AI) viruses have been circulating worldwide for centuries with four known major outbreaks recorded in the last century. India notified the first outbreak of avian influenza in 2006.

    According to the Ministry of Environment, infection in humans is not yet reported in India though the disease is zoonotic.

    There is no direct evidence that AI viruses can be transmitted to humans via the consumption of contaminated poultry products.

  • Dry run of corona vaccine today and tomorrow, Singhdev said that this is the preparation of health department regarding vaccination and bird flu

    Hemant Sharma, Raipur. Regarding the corona vaccination, state Health Minister TS Singhdev said that the preparation of the Health Department is at its level. Where we first took the initiative to establish 1100 vaccination centers. It has been increased to 1349. 2 lakh 67 thousand 399 front line health workers, whose names have now been registered. This will be the target group. Out of 28 districts, 7 districts did dry run. Out of the remaining 11 districts, there will be a dry run in 10 districts of Bastar and Surguja divisions today. Tomorrow there will be a dry run in 11 districts of the remaining three divisions. The staff we have prepared, 7 thousand 116 vaccinators, 96 percent have been trained. Kovishield’s vaccine has international certification. The confusion that is occurring is with respect to covaxin. The institutions of the country have authenticated this but international institutions have not done the authentication. His third face trial is also not done. The last time a dry run took place, a pincode was revealed in it. If the pincode does not match, then the Kovin app will not take it. Gorella Pendra Marwahi is a new district which was not a Pincode. It was not even in the attention of us that such a situation can also come.

    Regarding the discussion with the Union Health Minister, I think that there will be a discussion mainly about the dry run today. We will also keep many things. It has also been announced that the vaccine will be available within 10 days after the 3rd, that is, within the 13th, the representatives of the Government of India have spoken. Kovin which is an app, it proves to be effective because it has complete control.

    Health Minister’s statement about bird flu is coming from Himachal, Rajasthan, Gujarat and some states in southern India too .. We have alerted all the districts of the border. We have also discussed with the Veterinary Department of Agriculture Department that if the bird is found dead, we will give information. He has sent messages to the districts of the border from Korea to Gorela Pendra Marwahi, Kawardha, Rajnandgaon and Bijapur.

    On the investigation report of people from Britain, Singhdev said that those people have not yet made the report available. Samples have been sent. The last figure that, to my knowledge, 71 people were found to be affected by the new strain. But the report has not yet come in the context of Chhattisgarh.

  • Four crows found dead at Mehsana in Gujarat, sent for lab tests

    By PTI
    AHMEDABAD:  Four crows were found dead in Gujarat’s Mehsana district on Thursday, amid an alert sounded in the state in view of the bird flu cases emerging in some other parts of the country, officials said.

    The crows were found dead in the premises of the famous Sun Temple in Modhera village of Mehsana.

    The carcasses have been sent to a Bhopal-based laboratory to check if they died due to bird flu or some other reason, Mehsana’s animal husbandry officer Dr Bharat Desai told PTI.

    “In case of the avian flu, a large number of birds die suddenly. In this case, only four have died due to unknown reasons. Even though it does not look like a case of avian influenza, we have sent the carcasses to a laboratory in Bhopal for a detailed analysis,” Desai said.

    As a precautionary measure, the animal husbandry department at Mehsana has collected samples, including bird droppings and blood samples, of 50 migratory birds from the Thol lake and sent them to Bhopal for analysis, he said.

    The Gujarat Animal Husbandry Department on Wednesday sounded an alert across the state to beef up surveillance and monitoring in the wake of the bird flu scare.

    Four birds were found dead in Madhi village of Surat district on Wednesday, days after the death of 55 birds in Junagadh, state Animal Husbandry Minister Kunvarji Bavaliya earlier said.

    The minister, however, asserted that Gujarat was still not affected by the bird flu.

    Notably, the bird flu virus has been detected in some crows whose carcasses were recently found in Indore, Agar Malwa and Mandsaur districts of Madhya Pradesh, following which the state has banned the entry of chicken consignments from southern states for 10 days as a precautionary measure.

    An outbreak of the avian flu has also been reported from two poultry farms in Kerala’s Kozhikode district, besides parts of Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan.

    The Centre on Wednesday deployed multi-disciplinary teams in bird flu-affected areas of Kerala and Haryana.

    Thousands of chickens and ducks have been culled in Kerala to contain the spread of the H5N8 avian influenza strain.

  • Bird flu outbreak in four states; Haryana on high alert: Animal Husbandry Secretary Atul Chaturvedi

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Avian influenza or bird flu outbreak has been reported at 12 epicentres in four states — Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh, while Haryana is on high alert due to unusual mortality at poultry farms in Panchkula, a top official said on Wednesday.

    Speaking to PTI, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Secretary Atul Chaturvedi said there is no need to panic and efforts are on to contain the spread of the infection.

    So far, the disease has been found in migratory birds, crows and ducks, he said, adding that poultry chicken has not been affected.

    “As of now, confirmed reports are from four states — Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Kerala.

    ALSO READ: Bird flu – Madhya Pradesh govt bans chicken trade with some southern states

    “As regards Haryana is concerned, there has been unusual mortality in poultry farms in Panchkula. We have asked the state government to be vigilant and send the samples for testing and confirmation. That report is awaited, ” he said.

    As of now, the spread of bird flu is in four states, while Haryana is on “high alert”, he added.

    The secretary said advisories have been issued to state governments to contain further spread of the infection in poultry ducks, crows and migratory birds.

    The current bird flu outbreak comes barely a few months after India on September 30, 2020 declared the country free from the disease.

    ALSO READ: Bird flu – Over 69,000 birds culled in Kerala’s Alappuzha, Kottayam

    India notified the first outbreak of avian influenza in 2006.

    Earlier, the ministry said other states have been asked to keep a vigil on any unusual mortality among birds.

    “After confirmation of positive samples from ICAR-NIHSAD (National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases), Avian Influenza has been reported at 12 epicentres,” the ministry said in a statement.

    Of the 12 epicentres, the bird flu has been reported in crows in Baran, Kota and Jhalawar regions of Rajasthan as well as Mandsaur, Indore and Malwa areas of Madhya Pradesh.

    ALSO READ: Punjab issues advisory for surveillance of poultry farms, wetlands amid bird flu scare

    Whereas in Himachal Pradesh, the infection has been found in migratory birds in Kangra region and in poultry ducks in Kottayam, Alappuzha (four epicentres) in Kerala, it added.

    On the current status of bird flu, the ministry said containment operations were conducted in villages of Thalavady South, Thakazhi, Pallipad, Karuvatta in Alappuzha district and village of Neendoor in Kottayam district of Kerala.

    “As per the report received, a total of five Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) have been deployed in above-said 4 epicentres of district of Alappuzha and eight RRTs at epicentre Neendoor in district of Kottayam for culling,” the ministry said.

    A total of 17,326 birds (9,066 in Pallipad, 8,260 in Karuvatta) have been culled and a total of 1,570 kg feed has been destroyed in epicentres of Alappuzha district.

    ALSO READ: Government confirms bird flu cases in Rajasthan, Kerala, Himachal and MP

    At an epicentre in Kottayam district, 4,229 birds have been culled and a total of 8 kg feed and 42 eggs were destroyed on Wednesday, the statement said.

    Further, the ministry said that some samples of crow from Kale Hanumanji Forest Nakka, Jaipur, Rajasthan have been found positive for bird flu.

    “Unusual moralities have been found in 7111 domestic birds in Haryana, 150 wild birds in Madhya Pradesh, 10 crows in Gujarat, 336 migratory birds in Himachal Pradesh today,” it added.

    As per the report from Haryana, a total of 4,30,267 birds have died in Barwala, Panchkula in past 25 days and the samples have been sent to the designated laboratory for testing.

    ALSO READ: Karnataka government sounds ‘high alert’ over bird flu

    The results are still awaited.

    The state has constituted 59 RRTs to control and contain the disease, the statement said.

    Meanwhile, the ministry has already set up a ‘control room’ in New Delhi to keep a watch on the situation and take stock on a daily basis regarding the preventive and control measures undertaken by the state authorities.

    The ministry said the disease spreads mainly by migratory birds coming into India during winter months from September-October to February-March.

    The secondary spread by human handling (through fomites) cannot be ruled out.

    “Infection in humans is not yet reported in India though the disease is zoonotic.

    There is no direct evidence that AI viruses can be transmitted to humans via the consumption of contaminated poultry products,” it noted.

    As per the action plan on avian influenza (AI), the ministry has asked the affected states for strengthening the biosecurity of poultry farms, disinfection of affected areas, proper disposal of dead birds/carcasses, timely collection and submission of samples for confirmation and further surveillance.

    It has also recommended intensification of surveillance plan as well as the general guidelines for prevention of disease spread from affected birds to poultry and humans.

    The ministry has also asked the states to coordinate with the forest department for reporting any unusual mortality of birds.

  • Bird flu: Madhya Pradesh govt bans chicken trade with some southern states

    By PTI
    BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh government has banned chicken trade with a few southern states for a limited period in view of the bird flu outbreak in parts of MP, a government official said on Wednesday.

    The official, however, did not specify the states.

    In the morning, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan reviewed the bird flu situation in the state and directed officials concerned to take necessary preventive measures.

    Chouhan also directed the officials to step-up vigil at poultries in the districts where bird deaths have been reported.

    “As a precautionary measure, chicken trade with a few southern states will remain banned for a limited period,” a public relations department official said.

    “The ban is enforced as a precaution after reports of death of crows were received from Indore, Agar Malwa and Mandsaur,” he said.

    “There is no problem as such in the state.

    Precautionary measures have been taken, which include informing districts about the guidelines issued by the Centre,” the official said.

    After Indore, bird flu has been confirmed as the cause of mass death of crows in Mandsaur and Agar Malwa districts of Madhya Pradesh.

    During the review meeting in the morning, Chouhan directed officials to ensure that guidelines are followed and also asked the animal husbandry department and other allied agencies to remain alert.

    State Medical Education Minister Vishwas Sarang and other senior officials were present in the meeting.

    On Tuesday, an official report confirmed bird flu as the cause of mass death of crows in Mandsaur and Agar Malwa districts, after Indore.

    Presence of H5N8 virus (a variant of avian influenza or bird flu) was found in the carcasses of crows in Mandsaur and Agar Malwa districts, an official said, citing test results of samples sent for laboratory analysis.

    A total of 155 dead crows in Indore have been found with the H5N8 virus since the pathogen was first detected in the state’s commercial hub a week back.

    Since December 23, 2020, about 400 avian deaths have been reported across 10 districts of Madhya Pradesh, the PR department official said.

    Apart from Indore, Agar Malwa and Mandsaur, samples of dead avians were collected from Ujjain, Sehore, Dewas, Guna, Shajapur, Khargone and Neemuch districts and sent to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) in Bhopal for testing, the official said.

    Several states on Tuesday sounded an alert to contain the H5N8 strain of bird flu and sent samples for testing while Kerala began culling of chickens and ducks.

    Karnataka and Tamil Nadu stepped up surveillance and formed guidelines following the outbreak of the viral infection in neighbouring Kerala, where around 1,700 ducks have died due to the flu.