A year after India declared itself free of bird flu, the virus h5n1 has again struck the country. This has affected the country's poultry industry--several countries like Sri Lanka, uae and Bahrain have banned poultry imports from India. The ban follows India's confirmation of bird flu on July 25, 2007, in a farm in Chingmeirong village in East Imphal district of Manipur. The state has culled about 336,000 chickens.
The Union health ministry said it was taking precautionary steps in collaboration with the state government and also closely monitoring the situation in the state. As of now, there are no suspected human cases of Avian influenza in India.
The Union health ministry announced on August 3 that four boys who had been suffering from fever after handling dead or sick poultry have tested negative for bird flu. Recent death of chickens in neighbouring states of Tripura and Mizoram are also being investigated.
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