Thousands of chickens and other poultry have been culled following the outbreak of a highly contagious strain of bird flu in India . Officials ordered 250,000 birds to be slaughtered in Telangana after cases of the H5N1 virus were identified , which can be deadly in humans . The virus caused the deaths of nearly 400 people and hundreds of millions of poultry after it spread from Asia into Europe and Africa in 2005-2006 . Culled : About 250,000 birds infected with the H5N1 virus are slaughtered in Telangana , India . Since then , India has regularly reported cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza in wild and domestic birds . Veterinary staff from the local government 's animal husbandry department carried out the cull - which included destroying hundreds of thousands of infected eggs - at Thorrur village in the Ranga Reddy district . Birds present in poultry farms were slaughtered while the eggs , including those stored in warehouses , were dumped in a pit . Destroyed : Thousands of infected eggs were dumped in a pit and buried following an outbreak of bird flu . Clean up : Authorities ordered the destruction of birds and eggs at farms across Telangana in India following the latest bird flu outbreak . Bird feed stock was burned and the sites were all thoroughly disinfected in a bid to stop the virus from spreading . India has culled 6.4 million birds due to bird flu since 2006 . Experts point out that cross-infection to humans is still relatively rare and usually occurs where people have been in close contact with infected birds . But fears remain the aviation flu could combine with a human strain to produce a mutation that is more dangerous and difficult to control . In February , three people were tested for bird flu and 10,000 chickens slaughtered in Britain 's first outbreak of the H7N7 strain in seven years . There have been several outbreaks of the H7N7 flu in China and 18 months ago it was found in Italy . During the Italian outbreak in August 2013 , three poultry workers became infected with the virus , developing conjunctivitis . More than 1 million chickens and other poultry were culled during the Italian crisis .
Follows outbreak of H5N1 virus which can be deadly in humans . Chickens culled and eggs buried in pits in bid to contain virus . Virus has caused deaths of About 250,000 people worldwide since 2006 .