Avian influenza hits Dharke

2012-12-20
DHARKE: Hundreds of fowls that died in a Dharke-based a chicken firm over the past one week are learnt to have died due to bird flu outbreak.

The confirmation of bird flu came from a test report conducted by Central Veterinary Lab in Kathmandu on samples collected from Laxmi Pokharel’s chicken firm. Though the lab had confirmed the outbreak on Wednesday, farmers had been reluctant to flash the news fearing possible impact on business.

Yesterday, a joint team of technicians’ from the lab and the Dhading-based district livestock office destroyed dead fowls. Today, veterinary doctor Arjun Aryal’s team from the Central Livestock Health Directory and the veterinary lab and Dhading based district livestock office declared Dharke a bird flu affected area and sprayed medicine at Pokharel’s firm.

Most chicken firms in the district are located in Dharke. It is said there are about 500,000 fowls in various chicken firms there.

According to Dr Aryal, though it is necessary to cull all the fowls within a two-km vicinity of the bird flu outbreak site, there has been no decision to cull from the central level. “Frequent bird flu cases might have to do with import of chicken from India and migrant birds,” he said. 

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