Bird flu strain found in chickens in Indore, Neemuch districts; Madhya Pradesh orders closure of poultry shops

Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh government has ordered closure of poultry shops in Neemuch and Indore districts for a week after bird flu infection was found among chickens in these areas, officials said on Thursday. Avian influenza or bird flu virus was found in samples of crow carcasses from seven districts and in chicken samples from Neemuch and Indore, said the state veterinary department in an advisory. The National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal, confirmed presence of bird flu virus in the samples of crows from Indore, Neemuch, Dewas, Ujjain, Khandwa, Khargone and Guna districts, it said. In Indore and Neemuch chicken samples also tested positive for the flu strain, it said. The state government has directed authorities in Indore and Neemuch districts to immediately close all poultry shops for the next seven days, it added. They have also been asked to collect samples of migratory birds from near water bodies and send them to Bhopal for testing. In other five districts too, preventive measures should be taken, the advisory said. On Wednesday, the state government had said it would not allow entry to chicken consignments from Kerala and other southern states for the next 10 days as thousands of poultry birds were culled in Kerala to prevent the outbreak of H5N8 virus. The Centre on Thursday said bird flu has been confirmed only in Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh so far, but all states should be prepared for any eventuality.