India Set to Declare Itself Bird Flu Free

With no new cases of bird flu in three months, India will soon declare itself free of the deadly virus, officials said Friday.

India developed a poultry vaccine for the deadly H5N1 virus after a March outbreak led to the slaughter of tens of thousands of chickens.

"India will declare itself bird flu free on Aug. 10 as no new cases have been reported in the past three months and authorities have completed cleaning and sanitation operations in the infected areas," said P.M.A. Hakeem, an Agriculture Ministry official.

No human cases have been reported in India.

India will begin selling its vaccine in the next several months, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said at a meeting of health and agriculture officials from 11 Asian nations.

Bird flu has affected humans in 10 countries and forced the slaughter of some 200 million chickens worldwide.

The World Health Organization warns that millions of people might die if the virus mutates into a form that spreads easily among humans. Most human cases so far have been linked to direct contact with infected birds.

Conference participants said governments need to educate people who handle poultry to improve their hygiene. If they do, "half the battle is won," said Indian Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss.

WHO has recorded 232 human cases of the H5N1 virus worldwide and has confirmed 134 deaths. The latest occurred this week in Thailand.