February 11, 2009
Nepal bird flu outbreak brought under control
An outbreak of bird flu in eastern Nepal has been brought under control, official news reports said Tuesday (Feb 10).
Local media quoted two different ministries as saying the outbreak seen in chickens in the border town of Kakarbhitta in Jhapa district, about 500 kilometres east of the Nepalese capital Kathmandu, was now under control.
The government imposed emergency measures in a 10-kilometre area around Kakarbhitta in mid-January after six chickens that died in the town were found to have been infected with bird flu.
The government teams also culled over 23,000 chickens and other birds in the area to try to control the spread of the disease, and banned imports of live bird and products from India.
Kakarbhitta is a major border crossing into the Indian state of West Bengal and is frequently used to import animals and birds from neighbouring Indian states.
Last month, the Nepalese government said at least 24 of Nepal's 75 districts were in danger of bird flu and it was monitoring the situation closely.
