The Jharkhand government might ban the entry of poultry products after cases of bird flu were reported from at least seven states across the country, an official from the animal husbandry department said on Sunday.

“We are planning to ban the entry of poultry products from other states and also holding discussions regarding the same issue with higher officials and the state government. A decision will be taken depending on the situation in the neighbouring states,” said state animal husbandry director Nancy Sahay.

H5N1 infection, also known as avian influenza, is a viral infection that can also infect humans and other animals. So far, such cases have been confirmed in Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh. However, none of the states that share their borders with Jharkhand, have reported bird flu cases yet, officials said.

Jharkhand shares its borders with West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Uttar Pradesh, which is nearest to the Jharkhand border, has only reported bird flu cases.

Officials from the animal husbandry department said Jharkhand has so far sent samples of more than 3,000 birds for tests. However, no such cases have been reported in the state till now. According to information, mysterious deaths of some crows in Jamshedpur and Dhanbad have triggered panic among locals, but officials said the virus has not yet made an entry in the state.

“Till now, we do not have any confirmed case. In recent years, Jharkhand had reported bird flu cases, but the virus only infected the wild birds and not the poultry sector,” said Sahay.

The department sources said if all the neighbouring state governments support the ban on entry of poultry products from other states, it would particularly impose a ban on entry of poultry products from those states from where the confirmed cases have been reported.

Last week, the animal husbandry department had issued an alert over bird flu in all the 24 districts of Jharkhand. The department has also issued guidelines to prevent its spread. It also advised people not to go close to carcasses of birds and inform the district officials about the matter.

The department has asked poultry farm and chicken shop owners to keep an eye on birds and report if they show symptoms like runny nose, dysentery, breathing problems, weakness and change in colour of claws.