Fresh outbreak of bird flu seen in northeastern India

Guwahati: A fresh outbreak of bird flu in poultry on Tuesday has forced authorities in a remote northeastern Indian state to cull thousands of chickens, officials said.

The virus has spread to a new area, officials confirmed.

So far, more than 25,000 chickens and ducks have been slaughtered in Tripura in April following the detection of H5N1 strain in eight villages.

The remote northeastern state borders Bangladesh, where more than half the country's districts have been affected by the virus.

Poultry products have been banned in various states across India, reducing prices drastically, and forcing farmers to cut production.

Officials in Tripura said they were taking best efforts to control the disease.