The bird flu outbreak, which has been reported in multiple states, has now been confirmed in Maharashtra. The National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases, Bhopal on Sunday night said that out of eight dead poultry samples sent from Parbhani district, six are confirmed for H5N1 virus and two samples for H5N8 virus variant.
Parbhani district is located in Marathwada region of Maharashtra.
The culling process of about 8,000 chicken in Parbahni is expected to start by Tuesday, said Principal Secretary of Maharashtra’s Animal Husbandry Department, Anoop Kumar.
The death of the poultry birds have happened in Muramba village in Parbhani. Poultry deaths have also occurred in Ahmednapur in Latur and Badnera in Amravati district. In Nagpur death of parrots have been reported, he said.
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Kumar told BusinessLine that few crows in Mumbai and Thane have also been found with the virus. The virus is transmitted through aquatic birds, but when crows and egrets come in contact with them, they also get infected. Crows are most vulnerable as they are carrion birds.