8 human samples from Maharashtra's Nandurbar to be sent to NIV for avian flu tests

These workers, who had been in contact with poultry birds or involved in culling, have so far not shown any symptoms of human avian flu, but are being given medication as a precaution, district health officer Ravindra Sonawane told PTI on Monday.

The Maharashtra health department has decided to send eight samples of poultry workers in Nandurbar district to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) for human avian flu testing, an official said. These workers, who had been in contact with poultry birds or involved in culling, have so far not shown any symptoms of human avian flu, but are being given medication as a precaution, district health officer Ravindra Sonawane told PTI on Monday. Nandurbar district in northwestern Maharashtra has been hit by bird flu. ''Samples of eight persons have been taken because they were in contact with the birds or were involved in the culling process. They have not shown any symptoms of human avian flu. The samples, including nasal swabs, will be sent to NIV, Pune, on Tuesday,'' Sonawane said. The workers were being given Tamiflu tablets as a precautionary measure, he informed. No government employee was among those being tested, the official added.