Avian Flu confirmed in crow in Poonch

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 31: After Avian Influenza was detected yesterday in Udhampur, it was confirmed today in a wild crow in Poonch district.
Deputy Director (Poultry and Research) of the Animal Husbandry Department, Jammu, DD Dogra, said a wild dead crow was tested positive for H5N8 from Mandi area of Poonch.
After the positive report of the dead crow in Mandi, Poonch district authorities said samples of all sales points and backyard poultry shall be taken within one kilometer and regular surveillance maintained by the Animal Husbandry Department. “No sample of domestic poultry bird has tested positive so far,” the officials said.

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Dogra said the department has taken necessary measures in accordance with the Government guidelines to prevent the spread of the infection. “The department had taken 40 samples from vehicles carrying poultry birds to Jammu and Kashmir at Lakhanpur entry point and all the reports came negative,” he added.
“We had also dispatched several samples of birds which were found dead in Bathindi area of Jammu recently, for testing but they came negative,” he said, adding usually it takes a week for a sample to get tested at Jalandhar laboratory but those tested positive are being cross-checked at Bhopal lab.