Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Nepal Watches India, Worries

 

# 1930

 

 

 

The Chicken's Neck is the strip of Indian territory is shown in red.

 

The Chicken's Neck is the strip of Indian territory is shown in red.

 

 

 

 

While Nepal has yet to report an outbreak of bird flu, it shares a long, open border with India, and is separated from Bangladesh by a thin (20km-40km) strip of India commonly called the `chicken's neck'.

 

Worried about the spread of the disease in both of these neighboring countries, Nepal has raised their alert level and is testing some farms along the border.

 

This from Reuters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nepal on flu alert, tests poultry on India border

 

Tue Apr 29, 1:23 AM ET

 

KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Nepal has issued a bird flu alert and is testing poultry along the border with India, where the virus rages despite the culling of tens of thousands of chickens since 2006, officials said.

 

Nepal, which has not reported any bird flu cases, banned the import of poultry from India in January.

 

But it shares an open border with the Indian state of West Bengal which has reported repeated outbreaks of bird flu.

 

<snip>

 

Nepal has declared six eastern districts "high-risk zones" and intensified vigil on farm and backyard poultry. Ninety chicken samples were being tested.