Kathmandu, March 15:

As rumours of bird flu fly high, consumption of chicken and egg has significantly decreased in Nepal. Although, there have been no cases of bird flu recorded in Nepal, but the rumours and fear have hit hard the poultry industry in Nepal hard.

To bolster the decreasing consumption of poultry products and to apprise the public that there is no threat of avian flu in Nepal, the joint working committee of Poultry Entrepreneurs Group, Kathmandu is organising a ‘Chicken and Egg Festival - 2062’ in Kathmandu on March 17. At a press meet organised in the capital today, Dr Hom Bahadur Basnet, avian disease expert, said that the declining consumption of chicken and egg in the long run could invite malnutrition problems. “There is no ri-sk in eating cooked meat and eg-g,” said Basnet. “The B5N1 virus that was found in human beings who were infected by the bird flu has different characteristics than that the one which kills birds.”

Presenting a paper on ‘avian influenza: past, present and future,’ Dr Basnet said that the bird flu should not be mistaken with pandemic influenza. Pandemic influenza is an amalgamation of more than one viruses, causing the bird flu and is inevitable in the long run, he said, adding that it was recorded the last time around in 1968 as Hong Kong flu.

Since there is no record of bird flu in Nepal and as it is found in wild birds and is transmitted through ducks, it takes a long time to reach commercial farms, he said. Ishwar Sharma, vice-president at Nepal Hatchery Association said, “No poultry products have been imported from India from the very day bird flu broke out in India.”

Numerous private organisations related to poultry industry are keeping their eyes open to prevent illegal import of poultry products from neighbouring countries, keeping poultry products in Nepal safe from bird flu, he added. Poultry industry boomed in the 80’s in Nepal and at present it holds a share of about four per cent of total GDP. More than 65,000 people have directly benefited from the industry while another 600,000 are indirect beneficiaries.