India, July 12 -- Over 6,000 chickens would be culled after the National Institute for High Security Animal Diseases, Bhopal, confirmed the presence of H5N1 avian influenza virus in samples taken from the infected poultry in Odisha's Puri district on Saturday, officials said.

Dr. Somnath Das, the Block Veterinary Officer of Delang in Puri said, over 6,000 chickens would be culled and buried in Bada Ankula village, the epicentre of the infection. "Since the last two weeks, there have been reports of thousands of chickens dying in poultry firms in the district. We had sent samples of other birds to the National Institute for High Security Animal Diseases which confirmed that the chickens are infected with H5N1 virus. To contain the spread ...