Nepal bans Indian poultry after outbreak of bird flu

Rupendehi (Nepal), Jan 21 : Nepal has banned imports of Indian poultry to prevent the spread of bird flu in the country following the outbreak of the disease in West Bengal.

Poultry farms along the Indo-Nepal border are on a high alert to control the flow of birds, chickens and other poultry products from India.

"Our quarantine is highly alert position to control import of birds and chicks, and other poultry products from India," said Bhagelu Yadav, Chief Animal Husbandry Officer, Rupendehi.

The deadly bird flu virus that has spread to six districts in West Bengal has become a cause of concern in Nepal, even as poultry farm owners are taking all the precautions to spread the outbreak of the virus from the neighbouring regions.

"We are living in the border areas and are on a high alert because of the bird flu in India. We are taking all precautions, spraying medicines and anti-flu sprays inside the poultry farms," said Gobind Basyal, a poultry farm owner in West Bengal said.

The H5N1 virus was found among dead birds in Bankura district of West Bengal.

Around 20 million people live in these infected areas. The virus was also spreading to new areas within already infected Districts and the state was finding it difficult to contain the disease.

Only 125,000 birds were culled since last week and officials said they would need more time to slaughter over five lakh birds.

India is yet to report a human infection, but health workers were watching for people with flu symptoms in the affected areas, officials said.

ANI