Bird Flu Confirmed in Delhi, 8 Samples Sent to Bhopal Lab Test Positive: Officials

New Delhi: Testing of eight samples sent to a Bhopal-based laboratory has confirmed bird flu in Delhi, officials said on Monday.

All eight samples -- four from a park in Mayur Vihar Phase 3, three from Sanjay Lake and one from Dwarka -- have been found positive for avian influenza, Dr Rakesh Singh from the animal husbandry unit of the Development Department said.

The report of the test results arrived on Monday morning, he said.

A drive to cull ducks has begun at the famous Sanjay Lake, where 10 ducks were found dead recently, Singh added.

Officials earlier said that around 50 crows had died in Central Park, Mayur Vihar Phase 3 in a span of three to four days.

A few samples were also sent to a lab in Jalandhar. Their results are awaited, Singh said.

The Delhi Development Authority has already closed Hauz Khas Park, Dwarka Sector 9 Park, Hastsal Park and Sanjay Lake as a precautionary measure in view of the bird flu scare.

Hauz Khas Park in South Delhi has a huge water body and attracts a large crowd every day. However, no death of birds has been reported there.

The poultry market in Ghazipur has also been shut down temporarily. 

Nearly 200 Birds Found Dead in Dehradun, Rishikesh

In Uttarakhand, amid an avian influenza scare in several states, nearly 200 birds, mostly crows, have been found dead in Dehradun and Rishikesh, officials said.

A total of 165 birds were found dead in different parts of Dehradun on Sunday, including 121 crows in the Bhandari Bagh area only.

There were 162 crows, two pigeons and an eagle among the dead birds found in Dehradun, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Rajiv Dhiman said in the state capital.

Chief Wildlife Warden JS Suhag said the samples of the dead birds have been sent to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute in Bareilly to ascertain the cause of their death.

More than 30 birds were found dead at different places in and around Rishikesh, triggering a bird-flu scare in the town.

Twenty-eight crows and a pigeon were found dead on the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) premises, one avian death was reported from the Bees Bigha locality and two such deaths were reported from the Raiwala station, government veterinary officer Rajesh Raturi said.

The samples of the dead birds have been sent to the forest department for further action, he added.

Confirming the avian deaths, Rishikesh Municipal Commissioner Narendra Singh Quiriyal said a temporary ban on the sale of bird meat can also be imposed in public interest, if necessary.

Raturi said though 28 crows and a pigeon were found dead on the AIIMS premises, the security guards at the facility handed over the carcasses of only five crows and the pigeon to officials and buried the remaining ones as the birds were long dead.