Kerala Confirms Bird Flu is Deadly and Highly Contagious Strain

Kottayam: Kerala has confirmed that the outbreak of bird flu in thestate is of the feared H5N1 strain, which is highly contagious and can be fatalto humans.

Government officials said that massive culling of birds isbeing done to prevent the spread of the disease.

The virus itself killed about 15,000 infected ducks inKottayam and another 500 in nearby Alappuzha, the first cases of the disease inthe country since February this year.

The H5N1 strain caused the deaths of nearly 400 people andhundreds of millions of poultry after it spread from Asia into Europe andAfrica in 2005-2006.

More than 200,000 birds have been culled in the state in thelast few days in and around the villages where the outbreaks were found; anintensive surveillance campaign had been launched in a 10-km radius around thearea to ensure that the virus does not spread further, the union HealthMinistry has said.