6,126 more birds die in Maharashtra; samples sent for testing

Mumbai: Maharashtra has reported the death of 6,126more birds, most of them hens, and their samples are being sent for avian influenza testing, the state government said on Monday. According to an official statement here, 6,119 of these birds, whose deaths were reported on Sunday, were poultry birds.

The government said 6 other birds, including herons and parrots, and a crow, have also died in the state, where bird flu cases have been reported from some districts.

Samples are being sent to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) in Bhopal and the Disease Investigation Section, Pune, for testing, the government said.


So far, 1,09,426 poultry birds (including 31,400 from Navapur in Nandurbar district) have been culled, 44,686 eggs and 63,864 kg poultry feed have been destroyed from infected zones in the state, the government said.

To avoid the spread of infection, carcasses are put in a gunny sack and buried in a ditch lined with a layer of lime.

The government has paid compensation of Rs 34.06 lakhs to the poultry farmers in the infected zone, where the culling of poultry birds and disposal of eggs and poultry feed has been done, the statement said.