Nepal - bird flu in poultry/animals/wild birds

[Shiloh]

Re: Bird flu (H5N1) confirmed in Nepal

Source: http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/in...s&news_id=1282

Hatcheries to stop producing chicks for a week

REPUBLICA
KATHMANDU, Jan 19: The Hatchery Association of Nepal (HAN) has decided to stop producing new chicks for about a week in order to cope with the changed situation in the poultry industry, due to the detection of bird flu in eastern Nepal.

"We will not produce chicks for a week till the situation returns to normalcy," said Narayan Kshetri, president of the Feed Industries Association. Kshetri also runs a hatchery and is a member of HAN. About 800,000 chicks are produced every week, he said. He was speaking at an interaction organized by the Reporters Club Nepal to assure people the intake of poultry products is safe in places outside a three kilometer radius from Mechinagar-10, a government-declared crisis zone, after confirmation of the presence of bird flu virus in the area.

Kshetri also said there has been a decrease of about 25 percent in the consumption of poultry products since bird flu was confirmed in Mechinagar last week. ?However, the sell on Tuesday improved by about five percent,? he said.

According to Kshetri, the production of chicks was already low due to the decreased import of parent chickens. When the government banned importing poultry products from India after the detection of bird flu there, hatcheries are buying parent chickens from third countries, he said. ?Currently, there is the availability of about 35 to 40 percent parent chickens.? Low production would prevail for about next three months.

A farmer invests between Rs 150 and Rs 190 per chicken before it is ready for sale.

All participants, including secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives Tek Bahadur Thapa, director general of the Department of Animal Health Prabhakar Pathak, among, others, ate roast chicken served by the club during the program.

Talking to myrepublica.com, director general Pathak said over 13,000 chickens and other birds were culled before mid-Tuesday. ?We have culled chickens farmed for commercial purpose,? he said. ?About 1500 domestic chickens and birds are left to tackle.?

With a 40 percent fatality rate, there is no cure if the flu is transmitted to human. Approximately 248 people have died worldwide since bird flu was detected in 1997, said secretary Thapa. ?Nepal is the 26th country to report the detection of bird flu,? he said.

Swollen and edematous head, running nose, sub-coetaneous hemorrhages in the legs and foot pads are symptoms seen in chickens infected with the flu, Thapa said.

Meanwhile, a report from Mahendranagar said that the government is set to establish check-posts in Karnali bridge and Saule in Dadeldhura. ?Keeping in mind the sensitivity of the problem, we have decided to form check-posts,? said Dr Karna Bahadur Bogati, regional director of the Animal Health Division.

Chief District Officer Him Nath Dawadi said the police administration has been informed about the high alert in the area.

[Shiloh]

Re: Bird flu (H5N1) confirmed in Nepal

Source: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/01/...6311232583510/

Nepal killing poultry to fight avian flu

KATHMANDU, Nepal, Jan. 21 (UPI) -- Avian flu has been detected in southeastern Nepal, prompting authorities to begin slaughtering thousands of poultry, U.N. health officials said Wednesday.

The U.N. World Health Organization said in a statement issued at the United Nations' headquarters in New York that about 13,000 birds were being culled in the Jhapa district. The slaughter is part of the Nepalese government's precautionary measures aimed at reducing the risk that the H5N1 strain of bird flu will spread, the U.N. health agency said.

The government officially declared the outbreak Jan. 16 after samples of dead chickens collected in the Jhapa district were tested.

Outbreaks were reported last month in the bordering Indian states of West Bengal and Assam.

WHO said it helped the Nepalese Ministry of Health and Population train the district's health workers on rapid avian influenza containment and outbreak investigation last June and organized workshops on countering human infections.

WHO said it has provided essential supplies -- including 15,000 Tamiflu capsules, personal protection kits, intensive care unit equipment and other medical and disinfection reagents -- to prepare health workers in the region for cases of human infections.

[Shiloh]

Re: Bird flu (H5N1) confirmed in Nepal

Source: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.as...29618&Cr=&Cr1=

Avian flu outbreak leads to culling of over 10,000 birds in Nepal ? UN agency

21 January 2009 ? Nepalese authorities have begun slaughtering thousands of poultry and disposing of their carcasses in response to an outbreak of bird flu in the south-eastern region of the country, the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) said today.

The Government officially declared the outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain on 16 January after samples of dead chickens collected in the Jhapa district earlier in the week were tested.

The culling of around 13,000 birds in Jhapa is part of the Government?s precautionary measures aimed at reducing the risk of an avian influenza epidemic after outbreaks in the bordering Indian states of West Bengal and Assam were reported in December.

With technical support from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), authorities have declared districts bordering India as ?High Risk Zones,? initiating active poultry surveillance and reinforcing quarantine posts at the four transit points, banning the import of poultry products and feeds from India, and disinfecting vehicles entering Nepal.

In other efforts to resist the spread of bird flu, the Ministry of Health and Population ? with the support of WHO ? trained the district?s health workers on rapid avian influenza containment and outbreak investigation last June and organized workshops on countering human infections.

WHO has provided essential supplies ? including 15,000 Tamiflu capsules, personal protection kits, intensive care unit equipment and other medical and disinfection reagents ? to prepare health workers in the region for cases of human infections.

[sharon sanders]

Re: Nepal - bird flu in poultry/animals/wild birds

hat tip Treyfish -


Bird flu virus not found in Mid-West?s 3 districts


By Our Correspondent

Butwal, Jan 22

Despite the detection of bird flu virus in Jhapa, no symptom of the disease has so far been traced in three districts of west Terai- Rupandehi, Nawalprasi and Kapilsvastu.

Although these districts fall into the category of red zone areas for the flu as they share open borders with India, bird experts here have said that people in these districts need not worry of the flu while consuming well-cooked chicken meat.

On the other hand, due to the publicity the flu is getting, the poultry entrepreneurs of the districts are fearful that their one billion rupee business may collapse due to the nervousness among the consumers. They said that due to the "over publicity" of the disease, the business has witnessed 30 per cent drop.

According to Bijay Kant Jha, Chief at the Regional Animal Quarantine, Bhairahawa, the disease can be controlled if the government, media, poultry entrepreneurs and consumers make concerted efforts.

He however said that the entrepreneurs must remain alert to stop the spread of the disease, because the districts are in grave danger due to their porous border. Jha advised the government to deploy effective patrolling mechanism to monitor the areas where smuggling is rampant.

Dr. Bhagelu Prasad Yadav, another animal expert said that these districts were not affected by the dreaded flu and the chance of contacting the disease from Indian side was very low.

He said that due to higher price of chicken meat in India, the Indian chickens are less likely to enter Nepal. He however warned not to consume cheaper white eggs being imported or smuggled from India in large scale into Nepal.

Meanwhile, a meeting of the hatchery entrepreneurs of the three districts has decided to stop the import of poultry products from India and set up checkposts in Daunne and to run awareness programme at the Nepali side of Nepa-India border areas on their own initiation. The meeting has also formed a 19-member working committee under Hom Bahadur Galami?s chairmanship.

http://www.gorkhapatra.org.np/rising.detail.php?article_id=13447&cat_id=27

[Shiloh]

Re: Nepal - bird flu in poultry/animals/wild birds

Source: http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/200...n24/news08.php

Second phase of anti-bird flu drive starts in eastern Nepal

Authorities have launched the second phase of programme to prevent the possible spread bird flu, in Jhapa district, where the disease was traced in chicken.

Officials at the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives said thousands of chicken and other birds were culled and poultry products destroyed in Mechinagar Municipality, Jhapa, during the first phase of anti-bird flu drive.

The 2nd-phase, which will continue for three months, will include cleaning programmes in sensitive places like poultry firms and sales stores.

The government had issued bird flu alert in Mechinagar on January 16.

Meanwhile, as part of the anti-bird flu surveillance, the Home Ministry has banned transportation of live birds and poultry products in buses and other public vehicles.

The ministry in a statement Saturday said police officials can take action against anybody found carrying chicken and other live birds while using public transport. nepalnews.com Jan mk 24 09

[Shiloh]

Re: Nepal - bird flu in poultry/animals/wild birds

Source: http://www.ptinews.com/pti%5Cptisite...B?OpenDocument

Nepal rules out spread of bird flu in eastern district



Kathmandu, Jan 24 (PTI) Nepal has ruled out the spread of bird flu in the hilly district of Sankhuwasabha amid reports that the eastern region bordering China is faced with threats from the deadly virus.
The authorities in Nepal, which has culled thousands of birds in Mechinagar municipality bordering India to check the spread of the flu, said they had no information about any case in Sankhuwasabha.

Hari Dahal, spokesman at Nepal's Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, said the government had no information about bird flu cases in Sankhuwasabha.

According to a report in the Kantipur online, there is panic among the villagers of Sankhuwasabha district bordering China over the possible outbreak of bird flu.

Over 3,000 chickens have died in bordering VDCs, including Kimathanka, Hatiya and Chaipuwa in course of two months, and the number is increasing, veterinarian doctor Pushpa Bahadur Budathoki said.

"We're not sure if we are dealing with bird flu here, though some symptoms are strikingly similar," he was quoted as saying in the Kantipur report.

The government has listed 26 districts as bird flu-prone zones, though Sankhuwa-sabha, which shares open border with China, is not on the list, the report said. PTI

[HenryN]

Re: Nepal - bird flu in poultry/animals/wild birds

Updated map

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=106484775090296685271.00045da2c3c24f4d59de3&t=p&ll=27.303452,88.099365&spn=2.181738,3.186035&z=8

[HenryN]

Re: Nepal - bird flu in poultry/animals/wild birds

Bird flu threat in Sankhuwasabha



SURENDRA SUBEDI
SANKHUWASABHA, Jan 24 - People living in villages bordering China fear bird flu has made inroads into Sankhuwasabha district as well.
They are panicking ever since chickens started dying from an unidentified disease two months ago. The villagers maintain that the affected birds are exhibiting some symptoms that are common among bird flu-infected chickens.
Over 3,000 chickens have died in bordering VDCs, including Kimathanka, Hatiya and Chaipuwa in course of two months, and the number is increasing, said veterinarian Pushpa Bahadur Budathoki.
"We're not sure if we are dealing with bird flu here, though some symptoms are strikingly similar," he said.
We have collected saliva and fecal samples of the diseased birds and plan to send them to Kathmandu for tests so as to identify the disease, Budathoki said.
The government has listed 26 districts as bird flu-prone zones, though Sankhuwa-sabha, which shares open border with China, is not on the list.
Meanwhile, three major political parties have decided to mobilise their cadres in bordering areas of Jhapa district to stop illegal import of poultries from India. The Unified CPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML will deploy cadres of their youth wings to help security personnel stop the import of chickens, ducks and poultry products from India.



Posted on: 2009-01-23 21:06:33

http://www.kantipuronline.com/capsule.php?&nid=176912

[HenryN]

Re: Nepal - bird flu in poultry/animals/wild birds

Commentary

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/01240903/Poultry_Nepal.html

[HenryN]

Re: Nepal - bird flu in poultry/animals/wild birds

Poultry import on flouting ban



Kantipur Report
NEPALGUNJ, Jan 23 - Chickens and eggs are being imported in large quantities into Nepalgunj from India even though the government has banned the import of poultry products in an effort to control the spread of bird flu.
The authorities have been paying no attention even though imported chickens and eggs are being sold openly in the district. Banke district's daily requirement of poultry stands at 1,800 kg, and imports have been soaring despite the ban as local production is unable to fulfil the demand. However, Dr. Munnilal Chaudhary, chief of the Livestock Quarantine Regional Office in Nepalgunj, denied charges that poultry products were being imported openly. He conceded that they could have been brought in through clandestine routes. Banke's Chief District Officer Ganesh Bahadur Khatri said that strict orders had been given to the Customs Office, the Border Police Post and the Livestock Quarantine Office to prevent poultry products from entering the country.



Posted on: 2009-01-22 21:00:15

http://www.kantipuronline.com/capsule.php?&nid=176757

[Shiloh]

Re: Nepal - bird flu in poultry/animals/wild birds

Source: http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/200...n26/news13.php

Govt says no case of bird- flu reported in other parts of the country

The government has said that apart from eastern Nepal district of Jhapa no case of bird- flu was reported in other parts of the country.

Issuing a press release Sunday to dispel rumors about the spread of the bird flu in various parts of the country including capital Kathmandu, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives said no case of the bird-flu virus was found other than in Kakadbhitta of Jhapa.

Kakadbhitta is a bordering town adjacent to India's West Bengal state.

The release also states that regular tests were being carried out on birds that have died in various parts of the country since the outbreak in Jhapa.

Talking to mediapersons at his office Sunday, spokesperson at the ministry of agriculture and cooperatives, Hari Dahal said that no person has been infected with the bird flu virus in Kathmandu or elsewhere in the country, and that the mass media has tried to create panic among valley denizens by claiming that bird flu has entered the valley

The Himalayan Times quoted him as saying that the authorities in the valley were prepared to tackle the problem and that the quarantine process had been tightened in different parts of the country from where birds used to be imported to the valley.

The news of bird flu outbreak in eastern Nepal last week has sent shockwaves across the country with people in Kathmandu and other parts of the country shunning consumption of poultry products.

Meanwhile, the Dharan based BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (BPKIHS) has also denied reports appearing in different media that two persons being treated at the hospital were infected with the avian virus.

In a press release issued Sunday, Director of the BPKIHS, Dr BP Das clarified that the patients Santosh Dahal and Hum Bahadur were admitted three days ago for treatment of pneumonia, not bird-flu. nepalnews.com Jan 26 09

[Shiloh]

Re: Nepal - bird flu in poultry/animals/wild birds

Source: http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/ful...eDate=20090127

Poultry Import Banned in Sankhuwasabha

THT Online
Sankhuwasabha, January 27

The supply of chicken and poultry products via Tamaphok and Baireni checkpoints has been banned in Sankhuwasabha district in the wake of bird flu outbreak in Jhapa. The district has been declared as a sensitive zone for the disease.
As the checkpoints have their link with the Tarai districts, import of poultry products have been banned, Dr Pushpa Bahadur Budhathoki, chief at District Livestock Services Office, said.
The ban was imposed as a preventive measure to check the spread of the disease, CDO Tulasi Prasad Gautam said.
Poultry products used to be brought to the district from the Tarai districts like Jhapa, Morang and Sunsari.
Police inspector Dhan Prasad Siwakoti said additional policemen were deployed to see to it that the banned products do not find their way into the district.
Import of poultry products from China has also been banned, the Kimathanka border police post said.

[Giuseppe]

Re: Nepal - bird flu in poultry/animals/wild birds

IRIN Asia - NEPAL: On alert against bird flu

NEPAL: On alert against bird flu

KATHMANDU, 27 January 2009 (IRIN) -

The authorities in southeastern Nepal are stepping up anti-bird flu measures after the first case of a bird found to have the deadly H5NI virus was discovered earlier this month. There have been no reports of humans affected.


To date 26 out of 75 districts in the densely populated Terai region in the south of the country bordering India have been placed on high alert.

The move follows the virus?s detection in the town of Kakarvitta, Jhapa District, bordering on the Indian state of West Bengal, nearly 450km southeast of Kathmandu, on 16 January.

?We are taking all measures to prevent further infections among birds,? said Manas Kumar Banerjee, coordinator of the Health Ministry?s Avian Influenza Control Project (AICP).

An emergency cabinet meeting on 19 January ordered the culling of all birds within 3km of Kakarvitta. As of 26 January, more than 23,000 had been culled. All poultry meat, eggs and production facilities in the area were to be destroyed.

The Word Health Organization (WHO) described a January 2008 outbreak of bird flu in West Bengal as the worst ever in India.

The decision to ban poultry products would remain in tact unless international institutions certified that an epidemic no longer existed in India, according to Dalaram Pradhan, director-general at the government?s Department of Livestock Services (DLS).

The authorities have also warned Nepalese traders against illegally importing birds, promising firm action against violators.

Police and health officials have started checking vehicles suspected of carrying birds or poultry meat from India, and more than 50 families with coughs or respiratory problems have been investigated.

Kathmandu has sought New Delhi's help in controlling the spread of bird flu, as well as stopping the illegal export of birds.

Preparedness
Since 2006 when bird flu was detected in India, the AICP has been supported by the UN and World Bank, and the latter has provided a grant of more than US$18 million for the AICP over four years.

Although there have been bans by the authorities on the import of Indian poultry and eggs, they were very poorly implemented, said a local public health expert.

In the past the UN has warned that Nepal was vulnerable, given the large number of migrating birds.

According to the WHO, since 2003 there have been 399 confirmed human cases of avian influenza worldwide, of whom 251 died.

WHO remains concerned that the H5N1 virus might mutate or combine with a highly contagious seasonal influenza virus to spark a pandemic that could kill millions of people.

nn/ds/cb
-

<cite cite="http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=82577">IRIN Asia | Asia | Nepal | NEPAL: On alert against bird flu | Avian Flu Early Warning Health & Nutrition | News Item</cite>

[HenryN]

Re: Nepal - bird flu in poultry/animals/wild birds

Poultry industry is on the verge of collapse: NPFA chairman
The fear of bird flu has adversely affected the poultry industry of the country. It is estimated that the industry is losing a whopping Rs 5 million everyday due to declining confidence of consumers towards chicken products.
In his conversation with nepalnews.com, Gokarna Ghimire, president, National Poultry Farmer?s Association (NPFA), speaks about some vital aspects related to the impact of fear of bird flu on the country?s poultry business. Excerpts:
As the president of National Poultry Farmers? Association, how do you opine the panic among people regarding the outbreak of bird flue in Nepal?
First of all, what I want to clear is that the mass media is trying to create terror amongst the people the bird flu virus has entered into other parts of the country including Kathmandu valley. The media reports are based on fallacious premise. The government announced the outbreak of bird flu in Jhapa district some days back. And if the epidemic had really spread to other areas including the capital city, the government would have already taken preventive measures like it did in Mechinagar Municipality of Jhapa district. Moreover, the concerned bodies have also made it clear that the disease has not spread to other parts of the country except Jhapa.
To what extent the poultry business has been affected?
In fact, the fear of bird flue has caused the poultry industry to witness a steep tumble of some 35 percent. The industry is losing about 5 million Nepali rupees every day. Prices and consumption rate of chicken products have gone down drastically. The downward spiral in the poultry business is affecting some sixty-five thousand households across the country. As many as a half million people who are directly or indirectly linked to the poultry farming are suffering from the brunt of bird flu. About 16 billion Nepali rupees have been invested in poultry industry and nearly 150,000 kg of chicken are produced every day in Nepal. If no action is taken towards dispelling the widespread fear of this disease, the industry is bound to face a debacle.
So, are the concerned entrepreneurs pressurising the government for any relief package to insulate the poultry business?
Yes, talks are going on in this regard. We have formed a separate committee and forwarded a seven-point demand to Prime Minister Puspa Kamal Dahal to prevent the poultry industry from getting ruined. The demands include that the government should inform about every measure it is taking to cope with the menace of bird flue since it was detected in the country. We have requested him to dispel misleading rumours about the disease. Similarly, we have urged the concerned bodies to adopt a safe and scientific way in transportation of poultry products. The seven-point demand also urges the government to make arrangement to provide due compensation to those poultry farmers who have been hit hard by the epidemic. In a linear fashion, we have urged the government to keep strict surveillance on the imports of chicken products by way of taking required measures in quarantine check posts in the country. The seven-point demand also calls the government to rehabilitate the poultry industry for economic development of the country.
Do you have anything to convey to consumers of chicken products?
What I want to assure them they need not to be terrorized by unauthenticated media reports regarding the spread of bird flu. We poultry farmers are also serious about our responsibility towards the society in which we operate. We are also well aware about the fact that the supply of infected products in the market for the sake of only monetary benefit is wrong. nepalnews.com Jan 27 09

http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2009/others/interview/jan/interview02.php

[HenryN]

Re: Nepal - bird flu in poultry/animals/wild birds

<TABLE class=lan18 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="97%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=hei22 vAlign=bottom height=25>More than 1,000 chickens die from unknown disease in central Nepal
</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#ffffff height=4></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="50%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="97%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width="48%">www.chinaview.cn 2009-01-28 11:57:23</TD><TD class=hui12 align=middle width="26%"> </TD><TD class=hui12 align=middle width="12%"> Print</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="80%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD height=20></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=lt14 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="97%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=lt14>


KATHMANDU, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- More than 1,000 local chickens have died from unknown disease in a village in Sindhuli district in central Nepal, the National News Agency RSS reported on Wednesday.

According to the RSS, the chickens died from the disease, that has spread for the past few days, said a local.
She said 75 local chickens died in her house alone. They died with swollen throat and accumulation of water. The disease is not identified and the whole village, some 40 km southeast of Kathmandu, is in terror, the RSS said. Technical team from the District Livestock Office has not reached so far, whereas technician of the office Tika Shrestha said the outbreak was because no medicines were given to the chickens in time. Earlier, Nepal started culling birds from Jan. 16 in Kakarvittaof Jhapa District, which is a bird flu emergency area. It was the first time to detect the disease in Nepal.

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="50%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD height=15></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=hei12 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="90%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=right height=25>Editor: Yao </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-01/28/content_10728929.htm