A man from Kavre has died due to avian flu, in the first death ever by the disease in the country, officials at the Ministry of Health said on Thursday.

The 21-year-old man, who had received medication for influenza after he was taken to the hospital for fever and cough, died on March 29, the ministry said.

After the type of virus could not be confirmed in the country, samples were sent to Japan for confirmation.

“Tests from the Japanese laboratory confirmed that the person was infected with influenza A (H5N1),” the ministry said in a press statement.