Fresh Bird Flu Fear In Eastern India - Official

KOLKATA, India (AFP)--The death of nearly 5,000 chickens over the past week has sparked fears of another bird flu outbreak in India's West Bengal state, officials said Monday.

The latest deaths come months after health authorities in the eastern state had to kill five million poultry to control the disease.

The chickens died in Budhia village in Malda district, about 200 kilometers ( 130 miles) north of the state capital Kolkata, said N.K. Shit, the local director of animal resources development.

"Two blood samples of the dead poultry have been sent to laboratory to confirm the cause of the death," he said. "The report is likely to come in a day or two." Early in 2008, bird flu spread to 14 of the 19 districts in West Bengal, which has a population of more than 80 million. However, no human case was reported.

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