Chicken deaths: bird flu not suspected

Waruna PADMASIRI and Nihal JAYAWARDENE

Investigations have confirmed that bird flu was not the cause of the large number of chicken deaths reported from the Bingiriya area on Tuesday, Animal Production and Health Department Director General, Kumar de Silva told Daily News.

Two teams of specialists comprising of doctors from the Contagious Diseases Research Division, Health Ministry and the World Health Organisation conducted an awareness programme for the medical staff of the Bingiriya area yesterday.

Steps were taken to provide secure medical equipment to the Chilaw and Bingiriya hospitals as a precautionary step.

The Medical Research Institute will be on standby to conduct secure testing of samples if the need arises. The Health Ministry informs that the quarantine process activated will remain in place for a few more days, regardless of the confirmation that the Bird Flue virus was not found in Bingiriya.