Fresh cases of H5N1 avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, have been detected in crows in Bihar’s Bhagalpur and Purnia districts, taking the total number of affected districts in the state to six.
The latest cases were reported from Sultanganj block in Bhagalpur and Banmankhi in Purnia after around 50 crows were found dead in the two districts.
“We had sent samples of the dead crows to the Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (RDDL) in Kolkata over a fortnight ago. The laboratory confirmed the presence of the H5N1 virus on Saturday,” an official of the department said.
Sultanganj is the second block in Bhagalpur to report bird flu. Around 22 crows had died there over the past fortnight, prompting authorities to send samples for testing. Earlier, Naugachhia block in the district had reported the virus after around 70 crow deaths last month.