Kathmandu, March 15:

A veterinary doctor working at the Department of Livestock Services (DLS) has advised people to use gloves while working with raw chicken products and take precautionary measures at the chicken farms.

Speaking at an interaction on “What is Bird Flu?” organised by Martin Chautari here today, Dr Narayan Ghimire, a veterinary doctor, said it was advisable that people use gloves while working with raw chicken products and wash hands with soap after touching uncooked chicken to keep oneself safe from the virus.

“Low level of awareness among people is the major cause of concern,” Dr Ghimire said, adding, people would not have panicked if they were better informed. He said that as bird flu virus are killed at the temperature of 60 degree Celsius, people can consume well-cooked chicken products without fear.

Ghimire said the risk of bird flu appearing in Nepal was low when the virus was detected in China, but the risk had heightened after bird flu was spotted in different parts of India.

Since the virus is non-symptomatic, only laboratory diagnosis can identify the H5N1 strain of the virus.

“Citing the vulnerability of the local populace, we have banned the imports of pet birds and have also asked local bodies to control and manage local birds,” Dr Ghimire added.

“I can say with certaintly that no bird flu virus has been detected in Nepal as yet,” the government official responsible for bird flu detection said. “We have been conducting regular tests that are internationally recognised and the results have been published on the Internet,” he added. He said the DLS also sent the relevant reports to the government authorities, including the concerned ministry.