155 dead crows detected with bird flu in Madhya Pradesh Indore

A total of 155 dead crows in Indore in Madhya Pradesh have been found with the H5N8 bird flu virus since the pathogen was first detected here a week back, an official said on Tuesday.

Veterinary Department Deputy Director Pramod Sharma said 155 crows were detected with the H5N8 virus (a strain of avian influenza) in the Residency area here in the last eight days.

The deadly avian influenza had not been found in any other bird species apart from crows here so far, he said.

"Samples from 120 live hens and roosters from the area and 30 migratory birds from Sirpur Lake have been sent to a laboratory in Bhopal to check for bird flu. The reports are awaited," he informed.

He said the presence of bird flu was first detected in the city on December 29, when about 50 crows were found dead in Daly College campus of the Residency area, and tests run on two of the carcasses confirmed the presence of the pathogen.

Meanwhile, a health department official said a survey is being carried out in the Residency area to check people with symptoms like cold, cough and fever, though he added that no case of the H5N8 infection had been found in humans.

On Monday, an MP Public Relations Department official said from December 23 to January 3, the state witnessed deaths of 142 crows in Indore, 100 in Mandsaur, 112 in Agar-Malwa, 13 in Khargone and nine in Sehore district.

Their samples have been sent to a laboratory in Bhopal for analysis and to determine the cause of death.