Nepal bird flu outbreak culls 658,000 birds, zoo closed

Nepal is battling a severe and widening outbreak of bird flu that has led to the culling of more than 650,000 domestic birds and the indefinite closure of the country's only zoo. The outbreak, first detected in March, has now spread to 11 of Nepal's 77 districts, with the most severe cases concentrated in the densely populated Kathmandu Valley.

Officials from the Department of Livestock Services reported on Wednesday, July 1, that authorities have culled 658,313 chickens and destroyed over one million eggs and 222,000 kilograms of poultry feed to contain the virus. No human infections have been reported. The H5 strain of avian influenza, which causes severe disease and high death rates in birds, is responsible for the outbreak.

A significant challenge for containment has been the role of wild crows in spreading the virus. Senior officials stated that infected crows, which can carry the active virus for up to 21 days, are transmitting the pathogen across the Kathmandu Valley as they move between locations. Their droppings and carcasses, which often go unnoticed, pose a persistent transmission risk. While outbreaks on poultry farms can be managed through culling, controlling the...