West Bengal, Assam, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh to observe strict surveillance

The Centre on Wednesday sounded ‘high alert’ in border States against avian influenza after outbreak of the dreaded poultry disease in Bhutan. Thousands of birds have been culled in Bhutan after the outbreak, which is yet to be controlled. Earlier this month, samples of affected birds were sent to India’s High Security Animal Disease Lab in Bhopal and they tested positive.