Delhi, Maharashtra among 9 states with bird flu

Testing of eight samples sent to a Bhopal-based laboratory has confirmed bird flu in Delhi, officials said on Monday.

All eight samples -- four from a park in Mayur Vihar Phase 3, three from Sanjay Lake and one from Dwarka -- have been found positive for avian influenza, Dr Rakesh Singh from the animal husbandry unit of the Development Department said. The report of the test results arrived on Monday morning, he said.

Officials earlier said that around 50 crows had died in Central Park, Mayur Vihar Phase 3 in a span of three to four days.

Ten ducks were found dead in the Sanjay Lake recently.

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A few samples were also sent to a lab in Jalandhar and their results are awaited, Singh said.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra has also confirmed bird flu amid nationwide efforts to contain the spread.

Seven other states - Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat - had earlier confirmed Avian Influenza as the cause of the recent bird deaths.