Birdflu in Tripura, culling begins

AGARTALA: At least 3,000 poultry, including chicken and ducks were on Friday culled in a state-owned poultry here following an outbreak of birdflu in Tripura.

State animal resource minister Aghor Debbarma told newsmen over two thousand chicken and ducks have died in the area since February 3 last and blood samples of some of them, which were sent to Regional Animal Diseases Diagnostic Centre in Kolkata tested positive for H5N1 virus.

The administration has also banned selling of any poultry in and around R K Nagar Poultry, six kms from here.

Avian influenza was first reported from Kamalpur, a subdivision in Dhalai district bordering Moulavi bazar district of neighbouring Bangladesh in April 2008.