Second outbreak of bird flu in Maharashtra

Mumbai, Mar 14 (UNI) Second outbreak of bird flu was today confirmed in Maharashtra when poultry stock samples from Raver village bordering Navapur tested positive for H5N1 virus.

Confirming this to UNI tonight, state government spokesman Bhushan Gagrani said, ''dormant strain of virus H5N1 has been detected in samples sent a week ago''. He said 23 samples collected from Raver village in Jalgaon district of northern Maharashtra were sent for analysis a week ago and some samples had tested positive for the deadly but'' dormant'' virus, which was first confirmed in the poultry livestock at Navapur on February 18.

The spokesman said the disease '' was on a very limited scale,'' adding there were only 4,000 to 5,000 birds at Raver village.

Mr Gagrani said culling of the birds will start immediately to contain the spread of the disease which has already caused a clossal loss to poultry industry in the country.

Jalgaon district officials immediately called a meeting conclave immediately after confirmation of the disease and it was in progress when the last report came in, official sources said.

UNI JM SA MA DB2138