KOLKATA, Jan 15: India on Tuesday confirmed a bird flu outbreak among poultry following the death of thousands of chickens in the past week in the state of West Bengal.

It is the country’s third outbreak since 2006 and the first since India, home to 1.1 billion people, declared itself free of the disease last November.

“The samples sent to the laboratory have tested positive for bird flu. It is the H5N1 strain,” said agriculture ministry spokesman Manoj Pandey.

The poultry deaths were reported from farms in the state’s Morgram village, in Birbhum district, 125 kilometres from the state capital Kolkata.

“Blood samples of the dead chickens in the village tested positive,” said West Bengal’s minister for animal resources development Anisur Rahaman.

An isolation centre had been opened in a hospital near the affected village and 300 health workers had been sent with medicines and protective gear, he said.

“Authorities have ordered the culling of the chickens and all poultry within five kilometres (three miles) of Margram village. The government will pay compensation,” Rahaman said.

“Health officials have been asked to launch a campaign over public address systems and distribute leaflets,” he said, adding “panic has gripped the village.” —AFP