Guwahati (PTI): More poultry deaths were reported on Thursday in Assam where avian influenza spread to another district, taking the count of affected districts in the State to seven, even as some crows tested positive for the H5N1 strain.

Blood samples of the crows found dead in Chatribari area in Guwahati were confirmed as H5N1 positive by laboratories in Bhopal and Pune, sources said.

The laboratories also confirmed that avian influenza had spread to three more areas in Assam, hitting seven districts so far with culling operations on in three.

Director of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary A. Kakati said three samples sent from Sariha village in Barpeta, Kheluamara village in Bongaigaon and Kharguli in Guwahati to the Bhopal-based High Security Diagnostic Laboratory had tested positive.

With this, the number of bird flu affected epicentres increased from six to nine in seven districts, Kakati said. Fresh cases of unusual bird deaths were reported from Karbi Anglong, Nagaon, Lakhimpur, Sibsagar and Golaghat districts, and reports of the samples sent for tests to Bhopal were awaited, the sources said.

Over four lakh birds have been culled by 1,156 members of Rapid Response team and Rs 1.11 crore paid as compensation to affected poultry farmers.

The targeted 5.40 lakh affected birds were expected to be culled within the next few days, they said. Culling operations were on in Barpeta, Chirang and Dibrugarh, while it was completed in Kamrup (Rural) and Nalbari.

The seven districts affected by the avian flu are Kamrup Rural, Kamrup Metro, Nalbari, Barpeta, Chirang, Dibrugarh and Bongaigaon.