At least 71 different poultry farms in the Valley—24 in Kathmandu, 35 in Bhaktapur and 12 in Lalitpur—reported an outbreak of avian influenza virus A (H5N1), also called bird flu, that started around a month ago.

Rapid response teams comprising veterinary technicians culled chickens and ducks of 18 poultry farms in Kavrepalanchok, following confirmation of the deadly virus outbreak.

More than 754,000 chickens and ducks have been culled since March. Poultry farms in 11 districts reported outbreaks of bird flu, according to officials at the Department of Livestock Services. Around 1.1 million eggs and nearly 250,000 kg of poultry feed stored in the disease-hit farms were also destroyed.

“Works on culling chickens, and destroying eggs, poultry feeds and manure in disease-hit poultry farms are still ongoing, as outbreaks are being reported from multiple places on a daily basis,” said Dr Mukul Upadhyaya, a senior veterinary officer who is also the lead focal person for avian influenza control and disease surveillance at the department. “At present, more outbreaks have been reported from Kavrepalanchok district.”

Avian influenza viruses A (H5N1), A(H9N2) and A(H5Nx), among others, are responsible for the death of chickens in Nepal. These viruses are highly pathogenic as they primarily affect fowls including domestic chickens and ducks. The outbreak, first reported in eastern Nepal in March, has engulfed 11 districts, including the three districts of Kathmandu Valley and Kavrepalanchok.

Officials say that A(H9N2), a subtype of the avian influenza virus, was responsible for bird flu outbreaks in Koshi Province. The virus caused heavy economic losses in the poultry industry and wiped out a large number of chickens. Outbreaks in the Kathmandu valley involve A(H5N1).

Officials say that they started providing compensation on Tuesday to farmers from seven districts—Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari, Mahottari, Bara, Nawalparasi and Chitwan—whose chickens were culled by the authorities following confirmation of the bird flu virus. The government provides compensation equivalent to 75 percent of the estimated value of the chickens culled by rapid response teams. Officials say that the outbreak is under control in those districts.

“Poultry farmers in Kathmandu Valley and Kavrepalanchok will be compensated after the start of the new fiscal year, as recommendations for relief amounts have yet to come and the outbreak is still continuing,” said Upadhyaya. “Affected farmers need to apply for compensation while relevant authorities estimate losses before recommending measures.”

Meanwhile, the Central Zoo authorities said that the facility will be reopened to the public only after the Central Veterinary Laboratory submits a fresh report and the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division grants approval.

The zoo has been shut down since June 19 following confirmation of the bird flu virus. The virus has killed scores of endangered and rare birds including vultures, owls, swans, and cranes. Zoo officials said the virus has also been detected in some animals such as civets.

“We sent samples to the Central Veterinary Laboratory about a week ago, but the tests could not be carried out due to the laboratory's heavy workload,” said Ganesh Koirala, spokesperson for the Central Zoo. “We sent fresh samples again yesterday [Monday], but the report has not yet been received.”

Officials at the Department of Livestock Services under the Ministry of Agriculture, Forest, and Environment blamed negligence in maintaining bio-safety measures at the zoo, which housed rare and endangered wild animals and birds, for the outbreak.

They also accused zoo officials of trying to conceal the incident even after the deaths of scores of wild birds kept on display. A probe committee is working on its report.

The government usually culls all birds, poultry products, and feeds from outbreak-hit firms, seals the sites and restricts movement for 42 days. Zoo authorities have not culled wild birds even after confirmation of the outbreak.

Nepal first recorded a bird flu outbreak in January 2009. Since then, the country has experienced disease outbreaks almost every year, in which hundreds of thousands of fowls and huge quantities of poultry products were destroyed. Many farmers abandoned poultry farming due to a lack of compensation and continue to struggle to obtain reimbursement.

The country previously reported a human death from the virus in 2019. A 21-year-old man from Kavrepalanchok, who worked as a truck driver transporting poultry, died of a respiratory infection while undergoing treatment. The WHO Collaborating Centre for Influenza in Japan confirmed A(H5N1) infection after his death.