Aizawl, March 20: The state?s animal husbandry and veterinary department has declared Mizoram free of avian flu and has assured that there is no cause for panic.

Local reports of mysterious poultry deaths in Cherhlun village in Lunglei district, located along the Myanmar border, had sparked fear.

?The cause of poultry deaths in Cherhlun village has been confirmed as rat poison, which had been distributed as part of a rat control programme. Besides, the incidents took place in January and no more deaths have been reported since then,? investigating officer Dr Hmarkunga told reporters today.

A local newspaper, however, today quoted Hmarkunga as saying that the poultry deaths had been caused by a common bacterial infection called poultry disease Ranikhet disease.

Contrary to what he said at the press conference, a local newspaper today quoted Hmarkunga, the disease investigating officer, as saying that the deaths of poultry was caused by a common poultry disease known as ?Ranikhet? disease.

So far, all the blood samples sent to the laboratory in Bho-pal have tested negative for the H5N1 bird flu strain.

Officials have also assured that there is no danger of bird flu infection through migratory birds.

The deaths of several pigs in Aizawl and Lunglei districts over the past three months have been caused by ?swine fever? and ?piglet anaemia?, the official said.

?Ten deaths (of 266 pigs) reported here over the past three months were caused by swine fever, while the rest were caused by anaemia and other factors,? the official said. He added 40 pigs, whose owners refused vaccination, died of swine fever.