India reports bird flu virus at duck farm in Kerala state

(REUTERS/Phil Noble)

India reported two outbreaks of a highly pathogenic bird flu virus at duck farms in the southern state of Kerala, the first occurrence of the disease since February this year, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) said on Tuesday.

About 15,000 ducks died of the H5 strain of the disease at a first farm and another 500 died at another, the Paris-based OIE reported on its website, citing data submitted by the Indian ministry of agriculture.

The report did not say whether the animals died of the H5N8 serotype that ravaged farms in South Korea before hitting farms in Germany, the Netherlands and England this month.