2,000 chickens culled in Orissa over flu fear

Authorities in Orissa today morning culled at least 2,000 chickens in Balasore district after they were detected in a bus coming from bird-flu hit West Bengal, officials said.Special Coverage

Authorities in Orissa on Thursday morning culled at least 2,000 chickens in Balasore district after they were detected in a bus coming from bird-flu hit West Bengal, officials said.

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Veterinary officials spotted the poultry in a private bus at Laxmannath check post on the Orissa-West Bengal border early Thursday, Bishnupada Sethi, director of the fisheries and animal resource development department, told IANS.

The poultry was later culled.

Sethi blamed the West Bengal government for not checking the movement of poultry birds and products. "They should take measures not to allow movement of birds from their state to Orissa," he said.

The Orissa government Tuesday imposed a ban on the import of poultry from neighbouring states following the confirmation of the presence of H5N1 bird flu virus in West Bengal.

Sethi said the state government had collected blood samples from thousands of birds from various parts of the state but all of them tested negative for bird flu.

"We have asked the collectors of at least eight districts bordering West Bengal to remain alert," Sethi said, adding that instructions have also been given to personnel manning the check posts to search passing vehicles to ensure no poultry enters the state.

The West Bengal government Monday said strains of the dreaded avian flu virus were detected by the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory at Bhopal in blood samples collected from two dead poultry birds in Malda district.