Bird Flu spreads to new areas of Maharashtra

New Delhi, Mar 14 (UNI) The government today said four new cases of avian influenza were detected in new areas of Maharashtra after samples were tested ''positive'' in the state's Jalgaon district even as no case of any human being infected by the deadly H5NI virus in the country has been found so far.

Animal Husbandry Secretariat, P H A Hakim told reporters today that the outbreak of flu in four villages - Hated of Chopada taluka , Sawada in Raver taluka , Salve in Dharangaon and Marul in Yaval taluka- all in Jalgaon district, located about 200 km from Navapur and Uchchal areas where the flu was officialy notified for the first time in the country last month.

Mr Hakeem said fifty Rapid Response Teams had been sent to the newly afflicted sites where most of the poultry have been in the backyard of the houses.

Culling of the birds began and about 75,000 birds were likely to be eliminated in the operations.

The Secretary however ruled out the spreading of the disease from the original area to Jalgaon district as there could be a possibility of the disease breaking out simultaneously.

Earlier four lakh birds have been killed in Maharashtra and Gujarat in 27 farms and more than 50 lakh eggs have been destroyed in Navapur and Uchchal areas.

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