India tests migratory birds for bird flu

Kolkata: Indian authorities have started testing migratory birds for avian flu in West Bengal.

There has been no reported case of bird flu in India but the spread of the virus to Europe has led to concern among health officials in the country.

Five bird sanctuaries in West Bengal receive thousands of migratory birds from Siberia and central Asia every winter.

?We are collecting blood samples of migratory birds as a precautionary measure because they come from a region affected by bird flu,? said Animal Resources Development minister Anisur Rahaman.

He added that all the 250 tests conducted so far have been negative.

Authorities in neighbouring Orissa state, home to Asia's largest brackish water lake at Chilka that too receives thousands of migratory birds every week, is monitoring the birds for signs of avian flu.