Nepal shuts 22 schools in capital for bird flu fear

Fearing the spread of bird flu among children, 22 private schools in and around the "bird flu zone" in Bhaktapur in Nepali capital Kathmandu Valley have announced the closure from Friday to Monday. The schools were shut acting on public pressure though the public health officers of Bhaktapur and Kathmandu have put 3-km area around Lokanthali, where all the birds were culled and anti- virus pesticides sprayed on Tuesday, under surveillance. Schools in Lokanthali, Kaushaltar, Gatthaghar and Balkot have been closed, as parents feared the spread of disease among the children while going to school. Bhuvan Lal Shrestha, chairman of Private and Boarding Schools Organization-Nepal, Bhaktapur, said the decision was forced by lack of awareness among parents and poor government response to the outbreak. Principal of Erudite Academy of Lokanthali Diwakar Gyanwali said people knew little about bird flu and the government did not do enough to allay their fears, triggering panic among the parents, "who urged us to close the school." Coordinator of Public Health Office, Bhaktapur, Shiva Bahadur KC, was quoted by Friday's THT Online as saying, "All the birds that were feared to have been infected, were culled and chicks, eggs and poultry farms were treated medically. So there is no chance of virus spreading to humans." Department of Health Services, told The Online, "We have sent an expert team to the area and there is no need to fear an outbreak among humans." On Monday, the government had declared poultry farm of Chandra Bahadur Tamang near Manohara Khola "a bird flu zone" and had mobilised a Rapid Response Team in the area.