The Department of Livestock Services is preparing to send samples of dead crows and chickens to Australia for genome sequencing to confirm if there has been any change in the biology of the H5N1 virus.

As a member of the World Organisation of Animal Health, Nepal has to send samples for avian flu of H5N1 for genome sequencing, according to Dr Samjhana Kumari Shakya, deputy director general at the department.

“We do not have genome sequencing facility in our laboratory,” Dr Shakya said. “So we are sending the samples to a laboratory in Australia.”

She informed that over 350 crows died of the H5N1 virus in recent weeks in the city. Samples of the dead crows were examined at the Central Veterinary Laboratory, which confirmed that the virus was responsible for their deaths.

Rapid response teams deployed from the Department of Livestock Services have also culled over 100,000 chickens in Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Lalitpur, Makwanpur, Kaski, Morang and Sunsari, following the confirmation of the virus in the last few weeks.

The department said it had intensified surveillance to prevent the transfer of chickens from virus-hit areas to other places.

In 2013, thousands of chickens were culled in various districts following the outbreak of the deadly virus.