Following reports of bird flu cases in many states, the Maharashtra government has put the administration on high alert. However, officials assured that there is no need to panic as there is no imminent threat before the state.

Even after many states reported cases of bird flu, the Maharashtra government has issued a red alert in the state and asked the district officials to keep a strict vigil, said state's Animal Husbandry Minister Sunil Kedar on Thursday.

"As per the information that we have, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh have confirmed of bird flu. Because Maharashtra shares borders with some of these states, we have asked district authorities to keep a strict vigil and issued a red alert in the state. If any case is reported, we have made arrangements for vaccines and medicines," said the minister. When asked about the dead birds found in Thane district on Wednesday, Kedar said the samples from the dead were sent for testing and were found negative for the Avian Influenza virus.

Elsewhere, in Madhya Pradesh Pradesh, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, said the MP government had temporarily banned the entry of poultry items from Kerala and other southern states on account of bird flu. The ban would be for a limited period and is part of precautionary measures taken to keep bird flu away from the state.

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