Six more birds die in Delhi, but examined samples reveal less risky virus

Raising the alarm bells in the national capital, six more birds died at the Deer Park at New Delhi on Friday, taking the total reported death count of migratory birds, suffering from bird flu, to 24.

Meanwhile, the central laboratory in Bhopal confirmed that the virus strain found in the initial sample of birds was H5N8, which does not pose as much risk to humans as the H5N1 virus, said the Delhi Animal Husbandry Minister, Gopal Rai.

A sample of eight birds was first sent to the regional laboratory at Jalandhar and later to Bhopal. The initial reports said H5 virus was found in three of the examined samples.

The Delhi government received the final report on Thursday evening.

"The H5N1 is the most dangerous strain, which we were fearing. But the final report has concluded that it is H5N8 virus," Rai said.

"We talked to medical experts and they said that while H5N1 has been found to infect humans, no such reports have come regarding H5N8. So people of Delhi need not panic," the minister added.

Rai's remarks came after he held a meeting with a a group experts from Bhopal and Bareily.

Earlier, Rai visited the Ghazipur poultry market to take stock of the situation.

Rai said that no indication of avian virus infection had been found in the 2.2 lakh chickens that arrived in the market since morning.

However, as a precautionary measure, trucks entering the market will have to carry medical certificates assuring the fitness of their poultry from October 22 onwards.

"The vehicle owners will have to get a certificate about the medical fitness of the poultry they carry to the Ghazipur market from the place of origin," Rai said, adding that entry would not be permitted without the certificate. 

Rai has also set up a 15-member monitoring committee to enforce these measures at the market.

On Thursday, the Delhi government had set up a 23-member committee to coordinate work among various departments and to probe the reasons behind the bird deaths since last week.

"Also, we have decided to build a medicated subway at the entry gate in the market which will have medicines mixed with water. Every truck entering the market will have to pass through this water which will help in preventing the infection from spreading," Rai said.

On Thursday, the government had taken 50 samples from birds in the zoo, sanctuaries and poultry markets in the city and sent them for analysis.

Both- the Delhi zoo and Deer Park-will remain shut until normalcy returns.

The first deaths of two migratory birds were reported on October 14 in the Delhi Zoo, where six more birds were found dead the next day. Two more birds, one each day, died on October 17 and 19. Wheras on Thurday, reports of the death of eight birds surfaced in the city.