Bird flu case confirmed in Sitapaila farm

YADAV RAJ JOSHI

KATHMANDU: The Directorate of Animal Health today confirmed presence of bird flu virus in a poultry farm owned by Surya Mohan Pokharel in Sitapaila, Kathmandu.

“Bird flu virus has been detected within the ‘crisis zone’,” said senior veterinarian at the Directorate Dr Narayan Prasad Ghimire.

The farm lies some 50 metres from a hatchery owned by Subirman Singh Basnet, where bird flu virus was detected and about 19,000 eggs were destroyed a day earlier. However, the rapid response team of the Directorate could not found chicken in Pokharel’s farm, Manju Feed and Poultry Industries.

“We also dug the area where Basnet had claimed to have buried the bird flu-infected chicken, but we found nothing,” he said, suggesting that the poultry farm owner could have swiftly sold the chicken in the market. “He is in police custody for investigation,” he added.

Kathmandu District Administration Office has formed a probe committee to investigate into the matter at the request of the Directorate.

“About 2,240 fowls, 700 kg chicken feed and 105 eggs were destroyed by the rapid response team deployed at the site,” said Ghimire. “We will disinfect the place by tomorrow and will keep the place under surveillance.”

According to the Directorate, the country is continuously monitoring 26 high risk and 18 medium risk districts in the country and they are under surveillance. Bird flu virus spreads rapidly in winter than in summer.

The country has witnessed bird flu outbreak in eight different places in last one year.

The first outbreak in the Capital was noticed on January 18 in Ratnapark area where four crows were found dead of bird flue. On December 13, bird flu spread from Dharke of Dhading district.