No bird flu in MP

Bhopal, Mar 23 (UNI) The Madhya Pradesh Government has said there was no immediate threat of a bird flu outbreak in the state even as the dreaded H5N1 virus surfaced in neigbouring Maharashtra and Gujarat.

Veterinary Commissioner Rajesh Rajora said yesterday that 960 of 3,229 samples tested negative for H5N1 bird flu strain, while result of tests on about 2,000 samples will be known in a day or two.

Dr Rajora said directions had been issued for large-scale immunisation of birds against Ranikhet disease, as poultry deaths due the disease could trigger a bird flu panic.

Chickens in backyard poultry and home will be vaccinated. Free vaccines will be available at Jaivik Utpad Sansthan in MHOW.

He said pigs had died due to swine fever, a common disease.

Vaccination will be carried out against the disease at Khandwa and Guna districts.

As per veterinary department's directions, rapid response and vaccinators teams were being constituted on war-footing.

Veterinary doctors had been directed to collect random samples of pigs and ducks -- carriers of bird flu virus.

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