Bird flu spreads across India

Birdflu spreads across India with seven states confirming cases and others awaiting test results.

The latest state to confirm cases is in Uttar Pradesh, where the zoo in Kanpur city had been shut down after the death of four jungle fowls and two parrots.

Test reports received late Saturday confirmed they were positive for the virus, Kanpur District’s Chief Veterinary Officer, RP Mishra, said.

“We are in the process of culling all birds present in all the enclosures and the zoo has been declared a containment zone.

Samples from dead crows from four other Uttar Pradesh districts have been sent to a laboratory in the central Indian city of Bhopal for testing.

Cases of bird flu have also been confirmed by Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat, according to the federal government.

Dead birds include poultry fowl, crows, pigeons, peacocks and migratory birds.

Bird flu affects mainly poultry and wild birds but can infect humans who have close contact with sick birds.

Poultry chickens are being culled in Haryana and Madhya Pradesh and ducks in Kerala.