Nepal: bird flu outbreak in Sunsari

Nepal Central Veterinary Laboratory has confirmed an A(H5N1) virus outbreak in Sunsari district. The outbreak affects local fowls in ward 6 of Koshi Rural Municipality, and surveillance measures have been stepped up. Authorities have also culled 447 fowls, mostly ducks, and destroyed 10 Kg of poultry feed and manure. It is the first outbreak in Nepal in 2025. Popularly known as bird flu, the virus was first detected in the Himalayan country in 2009, and since then, there have been regular outbreaks every year. In 2019, one person died after contracting it. The first A(H5N1) case in Asia was reported in Hong Kong in 1997 and the virus has since spread to other continents, with serious economic and health consequences. According to the WHO, from 2003 to November 2024 there have been 868 human infections with 457 deaths, all due to close contact with infected birds or contaminated environments.
According to Dr Sudhir Kumar Singh, information officer at the Department of Livestock Services, migratory birds coming to Nepal to escape winter may have transmitted the virus to local birds, provoking the outbreak in Sunsari. Veterinary officials have been instructed to collect samples from dead fowls and send them to the laboratory for testing. They will also inform the World Organisation for Animal Health about the situation. Experts warn about the risk of infected poultry reaching the market, as affected farmers might try to sell their fowls to limit losses. They advise to take them into confidence and provide compensation. Nepal witnessed a massive bird flu outbreak in 2022, with over 600,000 fowls culled and hundreds of farmers losing their livelihoods.