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Just a year after the H5N1 virus was first detected in Nepal (see Nepal Faces Challenges Combating Their First Bird Flu Outbreak), once again that nation is dealing with an outbreak of bird flu in poultry.
Thus far, there have been no confirmed human infections in Nepal.
Unlike last year’s outbreaks, which were mainly concentrated in the east of the country, Pokara is in the central region of Nepal.
This report from the Himalayan Times.
London tests confirm avian flu in Pokhara
Last Updated : 2010-02-04 12:12 AM
Bharat Koirala/Rajesh Barma
POKHARA/ kATHMANDU: Detection of bird flu in Pokhara has spread panic in the Lake City. Ministry for Agriculture and Cooperatives, in a press meet held in Kathmandu today, stated that ducks and chickens were dying in Pokhara due to bird flu and a high alert has been sounded in Pokhara and the surrounding areas.
Dr Prakashraj Shrestha, head of District Veterinary Office, Kaski, said the samples of the dead ducks and chickens collected from the poultry farm of Gyan Bahadur Khadka in Ghoripatan were tested preliminarily in Pokhara on January 26.
They had to be sent to London as there were no facilities for such tests in Kathmandu. Spokesperson for the ministry, Dr Hari Dahal, stated that the preliminary report of the tests showed that the ducks and chickens had died due to bird flu (H5N1 virus). Dr Dahal said the Rapid Response Team had begun its task to curb the spread of the disease in the affected area. Claiming that the flu would be controlled within seven days, Dr Dahal added that there are nearly 10,000 birds in Ghoripatan, Pokhara.
District Veterinary Office, Kaski, has urged the locals of Ghopripatan area not to consume the meat of dead birds and to bury them properly. The office has also been spraying medicine in the affected areas.
Kaski CDO and chairman of Bird Flu Control Committee Shambhu Koirala said the meeting held today was attended by all the stakeholders and he had directed them to adopt proper methods to curb the disease. He added that the police had already stopped the movement of birds in and out of Pokhara and security personnel had been deployed on major highways and roads connecting Pokhara with other parts of the nation.
Many migratory birds come to Pokhara, increasing the threat of bird flu. District Veterinary Office has assured the poultry entrepreneurs that the disease can be prevented if proper measures are adopted.
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