Nepal records first death from bird flu

Kathmandu: Nepal's Ministry of Health and Population on Thursday confirmed the first death related due to bird flu in the country.

A 21-year old man died on March 29 while undergoing treatment.The deceased, whose identity has been kept under wraps, belonged to the Kavrepalanchok district. He was brought to a Kathmandu hospital on March 24 after showing signs of cough and fever, the ministry said.

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Blood samples of the deceased were sent to Collaborating Center for Influenza in Japan after the doctors failed to confirm the virus type. The report received on April 30 confirmed that the man was infected with Avian Influenza (H5N1), commonly known as bird flu.

Following the incident, the ministry has asked the concerned authorities to increase surveillance to stop the spread of the said virus.

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H5N1 is a lethal bird flu virus strain that is highly pathogenic. The first infection in humans was reported in 1997 in Hong Kong and the virus has since spread to Asia, Africa, Middle East, and Europe and other parts of the world causing millions of poultry infections, according to a report by Kathmandu post. (ANI)

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