- Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley has become the central hotspot for a highly pathogenic bird flu outbreak affecting poultry and wild bird populations.
- Authorities have culled approximately 600,000 birds and destroyed one million eggs to contain the infection across multiple districts.
- Poultry consumption has declined by 30% due to safety concerns, although health officials confirm that cooked meat remains safe for humans.
- Enhanced biosecurity protocols and genomic sequencing are underway to manage the outbreak, which has currently caused no human infections.
Kathmandu, Nepal: Nepal is currently facing a rapidly escalating outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), commonly known as bird flu, with the Kathmandu Valley emerging as the central hotspot of infection. According to the Department of Animal Services, the outbreak has spread across multiple districts, severely affecting poultry farms, backyard flocks, and wild bird populations, and causing significant disruption in the poultry value chain along with rising biosecurity concerns.
The outbreak was first confirmed in the current fiscal year 2082/83 on March 18 in Sundarharaincha and Urlabari areas of Morang district in Koshi Province. Since then, the virus has shown progressive geographic expansion, gradually spreading from eastern Nepal to other regions before intensifying in the Kathmandu Valley. Authorities have now identified Kathmandu, Lalitpur, and Bhaktapur as the primary transmission clusters, with veterinary surveillance indicating sustained viral circulation in peri-urban and semi-urban poultry production zones.
Veterinary experts say this year’s outbreak is more complex than previous ones due to confirmed infection in both commercial poultry systems and wild avifauna, particularly crows. Officials have raised concerns that wild birds may be acting as mechanical vectors, contributing to environmental contamination through fecal shedding and surface contamination, which has increased the risk of indirect transmission through fomites such as feed, water, and equipment.
Dr. Umesh Dahal, Director General of the Department of Animal Services, stated that the infection is no longer confined to intensive poultry farms but has extended into the broader ecological interface between domestic and wild birds. He added that preliminary field observations suggest possible viral persistence in the environment, while genomic sequencing is underway to determine whether antigenic drift or mutation has contributed to increased spread and adaptability.
Authorities report that outside the Valley, sporadic outbreaks have been confirmed in Kavrepalanchok and Chitwan, although more than 90 percent of active infections remain concentrated within the Kathmandu Valley. Epidemiological mapping shows that peri-urban areas are the most affected, with Budhanilkantha, Tokha, Gokarneshwor, Chandragiri, and Kirtipur in Kathmandu district identified as high-risk zones, along with surrounding areas of Kathmandu Metropolitan City. In Bhaktapur, infections have been reported in Sallaghari, Changunarayan, and Suryabinayak, while Lalitpur’s Godawari and Imadol areas remain under close surveillance.
To contain the outbreak, the government has implemented stamping-out policies under the Bird Flu Control Regulations, including rapid depopulation of infected flocks and destruction of contaminated materials. So far, approximately 550,000 to 600,000 poultry birds have been culled, along with over 1 million eggs and around 200 to 500 metric tons of poultry feed and related materials. Rapid Response Teams have been deployed for farm quarantine, controlled culling, disinfection, and safe disposal through deep burial methods using approved virucidal protocols.
The outbreak has also severely impacted Nepal’s poultry economy, particularly in the Kathmandu Valley, which is the largest consumption hub for chicken meat in the country. According to the National Poultry Sellers Association, chicken meat consumption has declined by 20 to 30 percent due to heightened consumer risk perception. Under normal conditions, the Valley consumes around 300,000 kilograms of chicken meat daily; however, current demand has dropped to 210,000 to 240,000 kilograms per day, resulting in a reduction of up to 90,000 kilograms in daily consumption.
Despite the market disruption, authorities have assured the public that properly cooked poultry products remain safe for consumption. Health officials emphasize that the avian influenza virus is thermolabile and is inactivated at temperatures above 70 degrees Celsius, with no confirmed human infection reported in Nepal during the current outbreak. The Ministry of Health and Population is also conducting active surveillance of poultry workers and exposed populations as part of a coordinated One Health approach.
The Department of Animal Services has further strengthened biosecurity protocols across poultry farms, including strict farm access control, mandatory disinfection barriers, separation of farm personnel, prohibition of equipment sharing between farms, and enhanced control measures against rodents and wild birds. Officials say that lapses in bioexclusion and farm-level hygiene remain key drivers of continued transmission.
As the outbreak persists longer than expected, the government has initiated a multisectoral response involving the Ministries of Agriculture, Health, Home Affairs, and security agencies. Genetic sequencing and molecular characterization of viral isolates are currently underway to assess possible viral evolution. While officials expect the outbreak to gradually decline in the coming weeks, they acknowledge that full containment will require sustained surveillance, strict compliance with biosecurity measures, and coordinated national intervention.
