Avian flu spreads across in 7 states; govt tightens vigil

Amethi (UP), Jan 10: Amid a bird-flu scare in several states, six crows were found dead under mysterious circumstances in the Sangram pur area in this Uttar Pradesh district, officials said on Sunday.

Chief Veterinary Officer of Amethi Dr MP Singh said the crows were found dead at different places of Kaiti village in the Sangrampur police station area. A team of doctors, along with forest officers, is being sent to the village and the samples of the dead birds will be sent for testing, he added.

Shiv Bahadur Shukla, a resident of the village said the crows were found dead at different places in the village. "This has triggered fear among the villagers," he added.

However, Singh said till the test reports are out, nothing could be said with certainty about bird flu.

Over 1,200 birds were found dead across the country on Saturday, including 900 in a poultry farm in Maharashtra, with the Centre saying the outbreak of avian influenza has been reported in Uttar Pradesh, taking the number of affected states to seven.

Besides Uttar Pradesh, the other six states are Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat.