Avian influenza or bird flu has been detected in the samples of 1,773 migratory birds found dead in Himachal Pradesh in the last week, PTI reported on Monday. Himachal Pradesh became the fourth state after Rajasthan, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh to report the infection.
Himachal Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Archana Sharma said that the infection was confirmed by the Indian Veterinary Research Institute in Bareilly. She added that the administration was awaiting reports from the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal.
The birds, most of them bar-headed geese, were found dead in the Pong Dam Lake in Kangra district. Authorities have suspended tourism in the area, according to NDTV.
The administration also banned the sale and purchase of poultry in Kangra district’s Fatehpur, Dehra, Jawali and Indora subdivisions, PTI reported.
Experts believe that the H5N8 strain does not usually spread from birds to humans. While it is fatal for…