February 2: The government has formed a bird flu control room to curb the spread of the H5N1 virus after the disease was detected in a poultry farm in Tarkeshwar Municipality on the outskirts of the capital.

The Department of Livestock Services on Friday confirmed bird flu among the turkeys, ducks and quails after a sample test at ward-7 of the municipality. The bird flu control room was formed under the leadership of Damayanti Shrestha, acting director general of the department, on the same day.

The department informed that the control room will coordinate with various government bodies including the Nepal Agriculture Research Council, National Public Health Laboratory and the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division.

Information Officer of the department Dr Chandra Dhakal said that the control room is currently working to prevent the disease from spreading in other areas. Dhakal claimed that the department has already succeeded in curbing the disease in Tarkeshwar Municipality.

The department has banned poultry farming and animal husbandry in the municipality for the next three months. The control room is preparing to mobilize teams across the country in coordination with the provincial and local governments.