By IANS,
Kolkata : A fresh outbreak of bird flu was reported in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar district prompting the authorities to start culling operations, an official said Wednesday.
“Thirty teams of veterinary workers have started culling operations in the bird flu-hit Mathabhanga I and Dinhata I blocks Sunday. At least 40,000 chickens and ducks will be culled,” District Magistrate Rajesh Sinha told IANS.
“About 20,000 poultry have been culled till Wednesday evening. The operations will be over Friday,” Sinha said.
Sinha said no humans have been reported to have fallen sick due to the avian flu.
The samples of dead birds from the two villages sent to the High Security Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Bhopal last week contained H5N1 strain of the avian flu.
The development comes a month after bird flu struck Darjeeling district of the state.