Bird flu: All samples taken from Delhi’s Ghazipur poultry market test negative

A total of eight samples have tested positive so far. The eight samples were the ones of dead crows and ducks from Mayur Vihar and Dwarka

Avian influenza has not been detected in poultry in Delhi, said officials in the animal husbandry department.

Hawkers sit idle at Ghazipur poultry market which was closed amid the bird flu outbreak, in New Delhi on January 13. (Raj K Raj/HT photo)

So far, some ducks and crows have tested positive for the bird flu in Delhi, triggering panic among authorities and civic agencies who shut down several parks in the city and imposed restrictions on sale of chicken.

As many as 100 samples were collected from poultry from the wholesale market in Ghazipur -- which accounts for at least 70% of the total supply across Delhi -- before the market was closed by the Delhi government as a preventive measure against the bird flu. “Result for all 100 samples are negative,” said Dr Rakesh Singh, director of Delhi government’s animal husbandry department.

As many as 158 samples of different birds -- crows, pigeons, ducks and poultry -- were sent to labs in Bhopal and Jalandhar for testing, of which, reports on 108 samples have arrived, said another official in the department who did not wish to be identified.

A total of eight samples have tested positive so far. The eight samples were the ones of dead crows and ducks picked up from Sanjay Lake park in Mayur Vihar Phase 2, Dwarka Sector 9 and Mayur Vihar Phase 3.

All ducks in Sanjay Lake were later culled.

The samples for which results are awaited include crows, ducks and pigeons, said the second official.