Nepal alert after first bird flu outbreak

Kathmandu: Nepal on Saturday intensified efforts to cull more birds to prevent the spread of bird flu after the virus was first detected in the country.

Authorities on Friday detected bird flu in chickens and ducks in the town of Kakarvitta, southeast of the capital Kathmandu.

Prabhakar Pathak, chief of the department of livestock services in Kathmandu, said 13,000 poultry would be culled in five days to control the virus.

He said the government would pay up to $5 for each chicken or duck that is culled.

"The outbreak is limited to one place and we have banned the movement of any poultry and products from there," Pathak said.