Odisha: Centre confirms of bird flu virus in state village

The central government has informed the Odisha government about confirmation of H5N1 strain of Avian Influenza virus in village Keranga of the state's Khordha district, an official statement said.

"The samples from the said epicentre were sent to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal, which confirmed on December 25 that the aforesaid samples were found positive in RT-PCR and Real time RT-PCR for H5 N1 strain of Avian Influenza virus," said the statement, citing a letter from the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries, under the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, to the Odisha government.