Bhopal lab confirms H5 infection in Bengal poultry

Bhopal, Jan 16 (UNI) The city-based High-Security Animal Disease Laboratory, which is under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, has tested a total 2.25 lakh samples from various parts of the country since the facility was set up and 94 of these samples tested positive for avian influenza.

H5 infection was confirmed yesterday in two of 29 samples sent from West Bengal and it would take until Friday to confirm whether the lethal N1 strain was present.

''The Bengal samples were divided into three pools. No human case has been reported in India thus far but we have prepared a vaccine,'' the facility's Joint Director S C Dubey told UNI. Seven samples were received from Manipur last year. In 2006, a total 52 samples were received from Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.

Of the 94 positive cases, 32 were of lower pathogenic avian influenza.

In the wake of the Centre confirming an outbreak of avian influenza in West Bengal, an alert was sounded in every district of Madhya Pradesh.

UNI SD-AC NY RS2045