Kathmandu. So far, more than 40,000 ducks and chickens have been destroyed due to bird flu infection in Kavre. According to the District Livestock Service Office, Dhulikhel, 40,729 ducks and layers chickens were culled after the outbreak of bird flu started dying in the past few weeks.

Senior veterinary doctor at the office, Dr Bajra Kishor Thakur said that some poultry farms at Banepa municipality-6, 6 and 13 and ward no 7, 8 and 9 of Panauti municipality were destroyed by the disease. According to him, preliminary findings suggest that the infection may be further spread from crow and other wild birds due to the tendency of discarding dead chickens and ducks in the rivers, bushes and other open places. The Office has intensified the works related to testing, management and transportation control in order to control the infection, said senior veterinary doctor Thakur.

It is said that the infection rate is increasing due to the failure of the state and local levels to take necessary steps on time due to the delay in receiving the results of laboratory tests. Stressing on the need of strictly enforcing the biosecurity standards in commercial poultry farms, Thakur urged the poultry farms to prevent the entry of unwanted people in the poultry coop, to adopt safety measures if they must enter, to keep the coop and equipment clean regularly and to follow the standards of complete hygiene while transporting chickens.

The monitoring and control of chicken being smuggled without testing and illegally at Nala, Roshi and Khawa check posts in the district has been tightened. Earlier in April, it was decided to adopt high alertness to prevent the risk of bird flu infection in Kavre and Sindhupalchowk districts. It was said that the security measures are being tightened in view of the possibility of the risk of bird flu infection in chickens reared in some parts of the country.