Gujarat: Bird flu detected in two dead lapwings in Junagadh

Gujarat on Friday recorded its first confirmed cases of bird flu infection after samples of two dead birds from Junagadh district tested positive, an official said.

The two birds, lapwings, had been rescued on January 3 from an area near Kharo Dam in Manavadar tehsil of the district, but they later died due to illness, said Dr D D Panera, Deputy Director, Animal Husbandry division, Junagadh.

"We sent the carcasses to a laboratory in Bhopal. I learnt today that the presence of bird flu virus was found in these carcasses. We will disinfect the area near the dam and take all precautionary steps as per protocol," he said.

The situation was fully under control as no other bird, including poultry birds, had died an "unnatural or sudden death" since January 4 in the district, he said.

A total of 53 birds, including lapwings and ducks, were found dead near the dam on the night of January 2, and a day later, four sick birds were rescued from the same area.

When two of them died, authorities sent carcasses to Bhopal for a detailed analysis.

The Centre earlier in the day said bird flu has been confirmed so far in Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat.

The state government had sounded an alert on January 5 about bird flu and instructed officials to take necessary steps.

In the last three days, four crows each were found dead in Surat and near Modhera Sun Temple in Mehsana but the cause of death is not clear yet, officials said.