Nepal finds bird flu in chickens

Authorities will slaughter all poultry within a two-mile (three-kilometer) radius of Kakarvitta, where chickens tested positive for the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu, said Health Minister Girirajmani Pokharel. The border town is about 300 miles (480 kilometers) east of the capital, Katmandu.

There have been no reports of humans affected, Pokharel said.

Nepal imposed a ban on poultry imports from India last year after authorities there reported several outbreaks, but chicken is still routinely smuggled over the border.

This is the first time health officials in Nepal have confirmed H5N1 in the country.

According to the latest WHO tally, bird flu has killed 248 people worldwide since 2003. The H5N1 bird flu virus continues to devastate poultry stocks around the world.

Bird flu remains difficult for humans to catch, but experts fear the virus might mutate into a new form that spreads easily among people, potentially sparking a pandemic.

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