KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 5
Bird flu seen at Tarkeshwor Municipality of Kathmandu has been contained.
The avian influenza was seen in turkeys and ducks reared by a local farmer of Sanglekhola in Tarkeshwor Municipality-7.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, high degree of caution was adopted not to let the bird flu spread and it has now come under control. Spokesperson at the ministry Dr Shreeram Ghimire said the area where bird flu was detected was secured by culling livestock in the surrounding areas.
He added, "We have been inspecting the area by sealing it. No more bird flu was detected in the area." Around 2,300 fowls were killed in the area after the confirmation of bird flu. A total of 1,865 ducks, 32 chicken, 25 turkeys, 542 eggs and 75 kg poultry feed were destroyed.
According to the Department of Livestock Services, subordinate bodies related with livestock services of the federal, province and local levels were mobilised to prevent bird flu spread to other areas. Information Officer of the department Dr Chandra Dhakal said necessary activities like regular monitoring, testing suspicious samples and study were under way.
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 on personal hygiene as well as inform bodies concerned if fowls fall ill or die unnaturally.
Before this, the department had sealed off the border point adopting high-alert in Tarai area with the confirmation of bird flu in some states of neighbouring India.
A version of this article appears in the print on February 6, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
