Following the discovery of thousands of dead chickens, authorities in eastern India have confirmed a fresh outbreak of bird flu.

Laboratory tests have reportedly confirmed that the birds in West Bengal state died of the deadly infection, resulting in culling of thousands of chickens.

Earlier in 2008 health authorities killed approx. 5 mln poultry to control the virus, which had spread to 14 of the 19 districts in West Bengal.

Over the past 2 weeks, officials in the northeast state of Assam have already killed 250,000 chickens to control the spread of the infection.

India has still not reported any human case of the deadly H5N1 strain of the virus.