Agar Malwa (Madhya Pradesh): The presence of the H5N8 virus (bird flu) has been confirmed in the carcass of at least 48 crows which were found dead in Agar Malwa district.
A senior official said on Tuesday, over four dozen crows died in the past four days in the district.
'We had sent the samples of the dead crows for a laboratory test. The examination of these samples confirmed the presence of H5N8 virus (a variant of avian influenza or bird flu),' Agar Malwa district collector Avdhesh Sharma said.
He said 48 crows and a cockle were found dead in the Agar Malwa district in the last four days.
ìWe have taken the samples of poultry. Officials of the departments concerned have been directed to follow the guidelines (of the Union Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying),î the collector said.
He said it was suggested in a meeting that markets selling mutton in the Agar Malwa district be closed as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of avian influenza.
Another official said that after the mass death of crows, the samples were sent to the Bhopal-based National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD).
A district-level control room, headed by deputy director, Animal Husbandry Department, Dr SV Kosarwal, was also set up and people were asked to inform about the death of birds immediately, the official said.
Meanwhile, additional chief secretary, MP Animal Husbandry and Dairy Department, JN Kansotiya issued directives to the districts, especially the bordering ones, to monitor the situation and immediately attend to any complaint related to the unnatural death of birds.
'Migratory birds play a major role in spreading bird flu during the winter. Therefore, keep a special watch on the migratory birds coming to the water bodies and sanctuaries of the state,' Kansotiya said.
He directed officials to collect the samples of migratory birds and from the chicken markets in the districts bordering other states and sends them to the laboratory for testing.
H5N8 is a subtype of the influenza A virus and is believed to be highly lethal to wild birds and poultry.
