Bird flu scare in Bihar, human samples sent to ICMR lab for testing

Meanwhile, Patna district animal husbandry officer Dr Arun Kumar said no new cases of bird flu have been reported in the district

- HT Correspondent

PATNA: Five human swab samples were sent to check for H5N1, a subtype of the avian influenza A virus, also commonly known as bird flu, to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)'s Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences (RMRIMS), Agamkuan, in Patna on Tuesday, said Patna's civil surgeon Dr Avinash Kumar Singh.

"The human samples were collected yesterday and sent to the RMRIMS today to check for bird flu, following confirmation of bird flu on the campus of the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR)'s Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna, leading to culling of fowls at two poultry farms in the area around the airport," said Dr Singh.