NEPAL: Avian influenza outbreak contained but risks remain

Photo: Naresh Newar/IRIN

Nepal had its first confirmed case of bird flu in mid-January in Jhapa district. Over 23,000 chickens as well as hundreds of pigeons, ducks and parrots were culled and the outbreak was quickly contained

KATHMANDU, 17 February 2009 (IRIN) - The H5NI virus has been brought under control after a month-long outbreak in poultry in Jhapa district, nearly 500km south-east of the capital, according to government officials.

The first confirmed case of bird flu reported in this Himalayan nation was confirmed on 16 January in Kakarvitta town, Jhapa.

The government responded swiftly by culling more than 23,000 chickens as well as hundreds of pigeons, ducks and parrots, and destroying over 5,000 eggs and hundreds of sacks of feed, according to the Ministry of Health.

The swift response by a joint team of staff from the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, the Ministry of Health and Population and the UN World Health Organization (WHO) swiftly contained the epidemic, said government officials.

"We have already banned production, consumption, sale and transportation of poultry products in Jhapa," said Manash Kumar Banarjee, coordinator of the World Bank-supported and government-run Avian Influenza Control Project (AICP).

As an added precaution, the government conducted bird flu assessments in major cities, including Kathmandu, Pokhara, Surkhet, Rupendehi, Biratnagar and Sindhuli, where there are large poultry markets, but found no evidence of the virus after examining more than 100 samples, according to the AICP.

"The bird flu outbreak has been contained for now," said Pravakar Pathak, director of the government-run Department of Livestock Services.

Risks

However, the potential for new outbreaks is great, according to avian influenza specialists.

A team of experts from the UN Crisis Management Centre-Animal Health (CMC-AH) visited the country recently. CMC-AH was established in October2006 by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) with the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) to enhance FAO's ability to help countries prevent and cope with disease outbreaks.

The CMC-AH team stated after their assessment that while the government's response was efficient and thorough, there were still major risks of outbreaks.

"The response has been robust and with impressive speed but there is still a need for … heightened awareness," said David Hadrill, mission leader of CMC-AH.

Government officials have also said the country remained at risk given that its neighbours, particularly China and India, have a history of bird flu outbreaks. Nepal's huge poultry industry also relies largely on imports from West Bengal and Bihar in India.

Ongoing concerns

Government officials expressed concern over the critical shortage of trained veterinarians, the lack of adequate laboratories for testing and supplies of disinfectants for spraying contaminated areas. There is also a lack of communication equipment to increase public awareness about prevention measures, they said.

The CMC-AH team agreed there was an urgent need for more lab equipment, facility upgrades and consumables to safely and effectively perform diagnostic assessments. It has recommended the Nepalese government consider scenario planning and a financial fund to deal with multiple outbreaks should they occur.

It added that the surveillance was very crucial in the coming months and more resources should be allocated to training. The government is already planning a three-month-long surveillance campaign in the affected areas of east Nepal.

"Fortunately, the bird flu occurred in only one place [Jhapa]. We would be unable to control the outbreak if it had taken place in more than three places [simultaneously]," a government official, who requested anonymity, told IRIN.

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