Illegal smuggling of poultry for trade, from bird flu free districts of West Bengal into the affected districts, may have caused the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus to resurface in West Bengal. According to the avian influenza control and containment protocol, no "repopulation' of poultry is allowed in an infected district at least three months from the time culling teams complete disinfection operations. However, reports officially sent to the Centre almost two weeks ago by teams travelling across West Bengal had clearly documented how poultry was being sold in local villages of Birbhum and Murshidabad, which were the first two districts to be infected by the virus in January. The reports were then forwarded to state government officials, who were asked to immediately curb such practices until the virus was completely destroyed. But on Friday night, the Centre's worst fears were confirmed