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Government on High Alert following Outbreak of Bird Flu in India

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Government on High Alert following Outbreak of Bird Flu in India
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January 7: The government has tightened the border with India after the southern neighbor reported deaths in poultry farms since last week due to bird flu.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development informed that they have decided to step up measures in the border points with India to prevent an outbreak of the disease here in Nepal.

The ministry has instructed the District Livestock Offices in terai districts to adopt safety measures to avoid the disease from spreading, informed Dr Shree Ram Ghimire, spokesperson at the ministry.

According to Dr Ghimire, the ministry has asked the district offices and local units to inform it if they require additional manpower and machineries to curb the possible spread of the disease.

The Department of Livestock has also started making preparations to prevent the disease from entering the country and to minimize its impact if in case the disease surfaces in Nepal.

Information Officer at the department Dr Chandra Dhakal informed  that they will hold discussions on Thursday (January 7) to seek measures in order to avoid the disease from entering the country.

Bird flu has affected states like Himanchal Pradesh in the north to Kerala in the south as well as other areas like Indore, Haryana. The state governments have issued high alert in the affected areas and adopted emergency measures to curb the disease.

According to the BBC, thousands of birds have started dying in India due to bird flu. Shops selling poultry products have closed in some districts. Authorities have reportedly banned the sale of eggs as well.

BBC further reported that more than 2,400 migratory ducks that arrived in Himanchal Pradesh from Siberia and Mongolia have been found dead. Meanwhile, authorities have culled 12,000 ducks and 36,000 birds of other species in Kerala state.

Nepal had first reported bird flu in 2009 while the country had to bear massive loss in  2013. Altogether 201 poultry farms in Kathmandu, Chitwan, Dhadhing, Jhapa and Kailali were affected in 2013.

Officials at the agriculture ministry claim that the disease will not spread easily in Nepal. However, authorities are worried because of the close proximity with India. They suspect people in the border area might smuggle chicken from India taking advantage of the porous border and the low price of chicken in India.

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