Government agency denies Bird Flu deaths in Nepal

KATHMANDU: Nepal government’s agency on Monday denied death of any Nepalese citizens due to the Bird Flu virus.

Epidemiology and Disease Control Division issued a press release stated that the two women who had died in Bharatpur Teaching Hospital on Sunday did not had any symptoms of the virus.

“Because the hospital made it clear that the deaths were caused by pneumonia, we did not think it was necessary to test the samples,” said Kumar Dahal of the Department of Health Services. He addded that none of the the lab tests for throat swabs were conducted as the Hospital itself had clarified the cause of the death.

“We would have conducted tests to confirm whether they had died of H5N1 virus had they been suspected of having epidemiological link with bird-flu,” denying any negligence on the part of the division.

“Any suggestion that they died from bird flu is but a baseless rumour.” he added. Clarifying the issue further, Dahal said that the standard operation procedures enable to establish epidemiological links may be established under two key circumstances: people should come from bird-flu hit area and they have to have contact with poultry products within the past two weeks.