August 6, 2007

Chicken deaths in Indian state spark bird flu tests
 

The recent deaths of some 300 chickens at a state-run poultry farm in India's north-eastern Tripura state have sparked tests to confirm if bird flu was the cause, officials said.

According to Samarendra Das, assistant director of Tripura's animal resource development department, samples of the dead birds have been sent to different laboratories outside Tripura for testing. While symptoms did not indicate the presence of the dreaded disease, Das said there was a need to "confirm beyond doubt".

Meanwhile, Tripura authorities have tasked security forces to seal the India-Bangladesh border along the state to check smuggling of any poultry products from Bangladesh, said Tripura's animal resource development minister Pranab Debbarma.

Bird flu was recently confirmed in Manipur state, which is next to Tripura.