January 31, 2008

India bird flu infects an additional two districts in West Bengal

Fears of H5N1 bird flu virus spreading to the organised sector have been triggered after poultry deaths at a private farm in South 24-Parganas district were reported on Wednesday (January 30, 2008).
 

The reported private farm has found 250 of its chickens dead in the morning. On Tuesday (January 29, 2008), 4,000 chickens were reported dead from a private farm in Baduria of North 24-Parganas.

Culling operations are at hand in Budge Budge, where a large number of chicken deaths were earlier reported.

District magistrate Prabhat Mitra said culling operations are ongoing in the backyard poultry and in poultry farms at Baduria, Swarupnagar and Habra.

Both South 24-Parganas and North 24-Parganas have not had bird flu occurrences before.

Bird flu has so far hit 13 of 19 districts of West Bengal.