SURAT, Feb 25: Animal health officials have expanded the zone for slaughtering chickens in western India after the discovery of a second outbreak of bird flu.

Chickens at two farms in Gujarat state, four kilometres from the Maharashtra state border town of Navapur, the epicentre of the initial outbreak, were confirmed positive with the H5N1 strain of bird flu on Saturday.

“Samples from two farms in Utchal (in Surat district) have been confirmed for avian influenza,” Upma Chawdhry, joint secretary in the national animal husbandry department, told AFP.

Confirmation of the new outbreak came two weeks after samples were taken.

Chawdhry said all chickens had already been killed at the two farms which were within the 10-kilometre zone where officials had by Wednesday finished slaughtering all farm birds after the initial confirmed outbreak.

“The poultry have already been culled ... and operations completed at these farms,” she said, adding, “It is not a cause for concern.”

Officials will now widen the slaughter zone by a few kilometres and kill several thousand more backyard chickens Saturday at a few more villages, Surat district senior administrator Vatsala Vasudeva told reporters.

“We will now take Utchal as the epicentre ... a few extra villages will be added and culling is being undertaken today (Saturday),” she said.

Animal health officials in Maharashtra said Friday they must still find and kill backyard chickens in 70 villages before completing the slaughter of all birds around India’s first H5N1 outbreak in Navapur, confirmed a week ago.

Indian officials said late Friday all 95 samples collected from people suspected of carrying bird flu following confirmation of the first outbreak tested negative.

The announcement eased fears the infection might have spread to humans here in the country of more than one billion people where many live in close proximity with poultry.

However, senior health ministry official Vineet Chawdhry said two more people were taken to hospital Friday in Navapur — which was put under quarantine Thursday — to be kept under observation. “The two have so far not shown any symptoms of bid flu. They have been kept under observation because they were reportedly in contact with poultry,” Chawdhry said. —AFP