In Kerala, the district authorities in Alappuzha have decided to cull over 20,000 birds following the detection bird flu in a couple of municipal wards in Haripad Municipality.<br />''<br />''Samples of some dead ducks in the region, sent for testing at the National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal, confirmed the presence of H5 N1 virus.<br />''<br />''Birds at a distance of one-kilometer radius around the region will be eliminated. Eight Rapid Response Teams have been formed for this purpose.