The Indian Railways on Tuesday decided to stop serving chicken dishes and eggs in any form from any of the railway catering units till further orders.

Instructions have been issued to all zonal railways and to the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd. The decision was taken in public interest, an official release said.

• Bird flu: Some lessons?

Bird flu [Images] is a highly contagious disease and infection occurs through contact with poultry (chickens and eggs) and chances of infection among the catering staff handling raw meat and eggs, and the passengers in the present circumstances is very high, it said.

Meanwhile, Jet Airways [Get Quote], in a press release, said it will serve vegetarian meals and snacks on flights.

• So, what exactly is bird flu?

As a precautionary measure, it has decided to temporarily discontinue serving chicken and egg dishes on all flights. However, the in-flight services will have a few non-vegetarian dishes other than chicken.