Kerala: India has found two outbreaks of a highly contagious bird flu virus in the southern state of Kerala, prompting the authorities to cull more than 200,000 birds, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) said on Tuesday.
The virus itself killed about 15,000 infected ducks in Kottayam and another 500 in nearby Alappuzha, the first cases of the disease in the country since February this year, the Paris-based OIE reported on its website, citing data submitted by the Indian ministry of agriculture.
The report said the animals died of an H5 strain of the flu virus but did not specify the exact variant.
Over 200,000 birds were being culled in the villages where the outbreaks were found and an intensive surveillance campaign had been launched in a 10 km radius around the area to ensure that the virus did not spread further, the Indian ministry said it its report.
Since 2006 India has culled 6.4 million birds due to bird flu and the latest outbreaks were not a particular cause for concern.