Bird flu can strike again in India

Bird flu can strike again in high-risk areas of India although the country reined in the recent outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in West Bengal, the United Nations' food agency FAO said.

Avian influenza's deadly H5N1 strain hit India in January. More than 3.9 million chickens and ducks were culled to prevent the spread of the virus across the country, Food and Agriculture Organisations said in a statement on Wednesday.

"Intensive culling in the predominantly backyard poultry sector appears to have stopped the disease in its tracks," said FAO veterinary expert Mohinder Oberoi after a recent field trip to the affected areas.

No new disease outbreaks have been discovered since Feb. 2, FAO said.

FAO's Chief Veterinary Officer Joseph Domenech said intensive surveillance in high risk areas should be maintained as the possibility of new outbreaks remained high.

"The virus could still be present in the environment despite heavy slaughtering and extensive disinfection of affected areas, or it could be reintroduced from other countries," Domenech said.