Infected poultry culled in India

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Health and veterinary workers are culling thousands of chickens in the Indian state of West Bengal after an outbreak of bird flu was confirmed.

Nearly 400,000 chickens will be culled in Birbhum, South Dinajpur and Murshidabad districts, say officials.

Nearly 10,000 chickens were found dead in the area in the past week. Samples sent to laboratories tested positive.

The birds were found to be carrying the deadly H5N1 virus which can cause avian influenza in humans, officials say.

India's huge poultry industry is worth billions of dollars. Several outbreaks of bird flu in India in recent years have all been brought under control.

Prices drop

"We want to kill up to 400,000 chickens and contain the virus from spreading to other areas," West Bengal animal husbandry minister Anisur Rehman told the BBC.

More than 300 veterinary workers and volunteers are killing the birds and destroying eggs.

Hundreds of health workers are also checking for bird flu symptoms among villagers, many of whom are thought to have consumed the dead birds.

Many villagers initially consumed the dead birds

"We are looking for people with high fevers or breathing trouble," said health worker Geethika Mukherji, in one the worst-hit areas, Margram village in Birbhum district.

The price of chicken has sharply dropped in markets across West Bengal. In Calcutta's wholesale markets, it is selling for only five rupees per kilogram - one-tenth its normal price.

Marriage parties are dropping chicken from their menu and schools are advising parents not to let their children eat poultry.

Samples of birds from West Bengal tested positive for H5N1 after analysis at the high-security Animal Disease Laboratory in Bhopal (in central India) and the National Institute of Virology in Pune (in western India).

West Bengal has sealed a stretch of its border with Bangladesh, which has been fighting to contain the spread of bird flu since March last year.

India faced a major outbreak of bird flu in the north-eastern state of Manipur last year.

Previous outbreaks were in the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.