MUMBAI, Jan 15 (Reuters) - The Indian government confirmed on Tuesday that the latest outbreak of bird flu in poultry in the country's east was of the virulent H5N1 strain.

"The strain is deadly enough to kill the birds," federal Health Secretary Naresh Dayal told Reuters by phone from New Delhi. "Our teams are already there, now people will be monitored for flu-like symptoms and there will be surveillance."

More than 18,000 chickens and other poultry have died in and around Margram village in West Bengal state over the last couple of weeks, officials have said. (Reporting by Krittivas Mukherjee; Editing by Y.P. Rajesh)

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