Kolkata, January 25
Bird flu has spread to two more districts of Howrah and Purulia, bringing the number of districts hit by the disease in West Bengal to nine.

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said he called up agriculture minister Sharad Pawar and sought an active participation of the Centre to arrest the situation in the state.

With today’s reports of bird flu spreading to Howrah and Purulia, he felt the situation was far from normal.

He said the government was taking contingency measures to fight the disease on a war footing.

A larger number of veterinarians, volunteers and experts had been requisitioned to carry out culling of the infected birds and to check spread of the disease.

State animal husbandry minister Anisur Rahman expressed helplessness when he received the report from Bhopal Test Centre that the blood test of chickens and ducks sent from Howrah and Purulia had bird flu virus.

Doctors, nurses and other staff in all medical colleges of the affected districts and Kolkata have been asked to report for duty on Republic Day and during other holidays.

Home secretary Prasad Ranjan Roy said all border districts had been alerted and transhipments of birds, chickens and ducks from Bengal to other states had been stopped. He said so far Kolkata was safe.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The wildlife department has issued a bird flu alert in Kerala, a major consumer of poultry products from other states.

AGARTALA: The Tripura government has banned the entry of poultry and poultry feed from outside the state and neighbouring Bangladesh.