Commentary
Poultry
Deaths in Nepal Raise Concerns
Recombinomics Commentary 18:35
January 24, 2009
"We're not sure if we are dealing with bird flu here, though some symptoms are strikingly similar,"
We have collected saliva and fecal samples of the diseased birds and plan to send them to Kathmandu for tests so as to identify the disease, Budathoki said.
The above comments describe excessive poultry deaths in the Sankhuwasabha district, which borders China (see updated map). Nepal has already confirmed H5N1 in the southeast, in areas bordering India and there have been reports of the hospitalization of five suspect cases who are in critical condition.
These regions are near China, where there have been 5 confirmed cases in the past month. Four have been fatal, as has the pneumonia case in te mother of one of the confirmed cases. These results raise concern that H5N1 is widespread and unreported in China, and outbreaks in neighboring countries such as India and Nepal may reflect that activity.
More information on the suspect human and poultry cases in Nepal would be useful.
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