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Avian influenza, also known as bird flu, has resurfaced in India's northeastern Tripura state. Officials have started a fresh process of culling chickens to contain the spread of the virus.
Authorities in India's northeastern Tripura state started a fresh process of culling chickens, after an outbreak of Avian Influenza, also known as bird flu.
Veterinarians and officials began culling chickens on Monday in a state-owned poultry farm in Gandhigram, about 20 miles from state capital, Agartala.
The poultry farm is one of the main chicken breeding centers in the state with a capacity of about seven thousand chickens.
Officials said about 380 birds died last week and their samples were sent to a lab for testing.
Test reports came back positive for the H1N5 virus on Sunday.
[Dipangshu Chowdhury, Gandhigram State Poultry Farm]:
"The culling process will continue for coming two days. Here, along with the hens we have another 1,400 Japanese peahens and 20,000 eggs, which we are also dumping."
Chowdhury also said poultry in the radius of six miles would be culled, in addition to the birds at the farm.
A high alert has been sounded throughout the state for monitoring the spread of bird flu.
This is the second time bird flu has been detected in the state since February. Health and veterinary workers had then culled more than 4,000 chickens on February 18.
Bird flu first broke out in India in 2006. Millions of chickens and ducks have been culled since then to contain the virus, but it has resurfaced from time to time.
India has reported no human infections.