**Bhubaneswar: ** With three crows found dead on Monday at Nilachara Nagar of Salia Sahi slum in the capital city here, suspicion looms large over the deadly bird flu (avian influenza H5N1) spreading in Odisha.
Last week such incident came to fore for the first time in the State at Keranga village in Khurda district for which the State Administration swung into action of both culling of fowls there as well as undertaking preventive public health measures.
Close on the heels, such incident was also reported from Bhadrak district same week for which the Animal Resources Development Department collected sample and sent it for screening at Phulnakhara-based Animal Disease Laboratory.
Animal Resources Development Secretary Bishnupada Sethi informed “Keranga culling process is over meanwhile. It has been notified to the people there that they must not rear poultry for the next three months.”
On Rourkela and Panposh cases in Sundargarh district, he said, “In the zoo a bird had been inflicted with bird flu. The zoo is now closed for visitors. In Panposh-based CISF campus, crow had bird flu. But, chicken afflicted with bird flu has not been reported yet from there. So, no question arises on culling. However, people are informing about deaths of birds. We’re immediately undertaking examination. No bird flu anywhere else.”
He also informed that the Bhadrak sample test revealed no bird flu.
Sethi further informed that except two places, Keranga village in Khurda district and Panposh of Rourkela city in Sundargarh district, from nowhere in the State such case has been confirmed.
He, however, informed that the sample from the slum here has been collected and already sent to Phulnakhara-based Animal Disease Laboratory for detection.
The deadly bird flu or avian influenza H5N1 is a viral infection that spreads from bird to bird.
A local woman Suchitra Behera told media, “For the last five-six days, crows are dying. Chickens are also being found sleepy and drowsy. Today also, as you have seen, five crows were found lying dead.
