Bird flu cases confirmed in 13 Madhya Pradesh districts

Bird flu cases have so far been confirmed in 13 districts of Madhya Pradesh, while around 1,100 crows and other wild birds have been found dead across 27 districts since the flu virus was first detected in the state last month, a government official said on Sunday.

A poultry market in Agar Malwa district has been shut for a week after the bird flu virus was detected in one sample there, the official from the public relations department said.

The district administration has started culling and burying of poultry birds as per guidelines, she said.

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The state government a few days back-ordered closure of poultry shops in Neemuch and Indore for a week after the bird flu infection was found in some chickens there.

The avian flu was first detected in samples of two out of 50 crows whose carcasses were found in Indore's Residency area on December 29, 2020.

"The presence of the avian flu in crows and other birds (including poultry birds) has so far been confirmed in 13 districts - Indore, Mandsaur, Agar Malwa, Neemuch, Dewas, Ujjain, Khadwa, Khargone, Guna, Shivpuri, Rajgarh, Shajapur and Vidisha," the official said.

Till Saturday evening, deaths of about 1,100 crows and wild birds were reported from 27 districts of the state, she said.

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The official further said that 32 samples from various districts were sent to the National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) in Bhopal for analysis.

The bird flu virus was not detected in the samples sent to NIHSAD from Sehore, Balaghat, Damoh, Ujjain, Betul and Bhind districts, she said.