Sonbhadra , January 7: Nine crows were found dead in Uttar Pradesh's Sonbhadra district, amid cases of avian influenza in neighbouring Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, but officials said it seems like the birds died due to cold.

The deaths were reported on Wednesday evening from the Dala area of the district and samples taken from two of the birds have been sent to a lab in Bhopal for testing, Chief Veterinary Officer, Sonbhadra, A K Srivastava said on Thursday. It appears that the crows died due to cold, he said. Bird Flu Outbreak: What Is H5N1? Know the Symptoms, Precautionary Measures & Treatment Methods for Avian Influenza.

Srivastava said that so far, bird flu has not been detected in the district. The Centre on Wednesday had said that avian influenza or bird flu outbreak has been reported at 12 epicentres in Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh, while Haryana is on high alert due to unusual mortality at poultry farms in Panchkula.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)