KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 26
Bird flu has been detected again in Tarakeshwar Municipality.
According to the Department of Livestock Services, samples of chickens from several poultry farms taken from Tarakeshwar Municipality-1 of Kathmandu district tested positive for bird flu at the Central Veterinary Disease Investigation Laboratory when real-time PCR method was used.
As per the department, all the livestock and transmissible items in the affected areas have been destroyed by mobilising the agencies related to the animal services at the federal, state and local levels to control the spread of the disease from the confirmed areas.
A Spokesperson for the department, Chandra Dhakal, said that 15,397 chickens were culled, including the species of 5,657 layers, 7,236 broilers and 2,504 locals, around the infected area to control bird flu.
A total of 3,570 eggs, 50 turkeys, 17 quails and 3,000 kg of chicken grains were also destroyed, according to a statement issued by the department. According to the department, the affected areas have been completely disinfected.
The department has urged livestock businesses to acquire mandatory veterinary certificate following health checkup of livestock in course of transporting poultry products, adopt biological safety measures on the farm premises, disinfect farm premises regularly and pay special attention to personal hygiene as well as immediately inform the bodies concerned if fowls fall ill or die unnaturally.
Prior to this, the department had destroyed around 5,000 birds in the same municipality.
Just six days back, 279 chickens and 102 pigeons were culled and 22 eggs and 31 kg feed destroyed in Surkhet.
Earlier, the department had sealed off the border points and adopted highalert in the Tarai region after the confirmation of bird flu in some states of neighbouring India.
A version of this article appears in the print on February 27, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
