The Centre on Saturday put in place its action plan to prevent the spread of bird flu after the Maharashtra government said that the deadly H5N1 virus has caused the death of chicken in two districts -- Nandurbar and Dhule.

"The health ministry is seized of the entire development and appropriate action is mooted at appropriate level," they said.

Bird flu cases reported in Maharashtra

Stating that the Union health ministry officials were already in touch with local authorities, they said Minister Anbumani Ramadoss would speak with the Maharashtra authorities on actions to be taken.

The ministry has already deputed officials to various states to apprise them of the situation and give valuable advise on means to counter the disease.

The affected bird population was being segregated and areas where cases were reported would be cordoned off. The appropriate strategy to dispose of the infected birds would also be followed, they said.

The health ministry had taken note of the deaths in Maharashtra and sent a team last week to investigate the matter. The report is yet to arrive.

Maharashtra government on Saturday said that bird flu has caused the death of chicken in Nandurbar and Dhule districts of the state. The confirmation was made by high security lab in Bhopal.

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