Bhubaneswar, Dec 16 (IANS) Orissa has imposed a ban on the inflow of poultry from neighbouring states following the confirmation of the presence of H5N1 bird flu virus in West Bengal, an official said Tuesday.”We have banned the import of poultry birds and poultry products from neighbouring states, including West Bengal and Jharkhand,” Bishnupada Sethi, director of the fisheries and animal resource development department, told IANS.

He said the state government had collected blood samples from thousands of birds from various parts of the state but all of them tested negative for bird flu.

“We have asked the collectors of at least eight districts located in the border regions to remain alert,” Sethi said, adding that “instructions have also been given to men at all check posts to examine vehicles passing through their gates to ensure no poultry enters the state”.

The West Bengal government Monday said strains of the dreaded avian flu virus were detected by the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory at Bhopal in blood samples collected from two dead poultry birds in Malda district.