Kathmandu, April 7 (IANS) The H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza, also commonly called bird flu, has spread across four districts of Nepal, a government official said on Tuesday.

The highly pathogenic virus has been detected in 23 poultry farms in Morang, Sunsari, Jhapa and Chitwan districts, Indira Sharma, an information officer at the Department of Livestock Services, told Xinhua. This year, the bird flu was first detected in the farms in Morang district on March 18.

"We are putting all our efforts together to ensure it doesn't spread further," Sharma told Xinhua.

As per the department's report, a total of 113,608 birds, including chickens and ducks, and 211,867 eggs have been destroyed from the affected places as of Saturday, Xinhua news agency reported.

H5N1 is one of several influenza viruses that causes a highly infectious respiratory disease in birds called avian influenza (or "bird flu"). Infections in mammals, including humans, have also been documented.

H5N1 influenza virus infection can cause a range of diseases in humans, from mild to severe and in some cases, it can even be fatal. Symptoms reported have primarily been respiratory, but conjunctivitis and other non-respiratory symptoms have also been reported. There have also been a few detections of A(H5N1) virus in persons who were exposed to infected animals or their environments but who did not show any symptoms.

The goose/Guangdong-lineage of H5N1 avian influenza viruses first emerged in 1996 and has been causing outbreaks in birds since then. Since 2020, a variant of these viruses has led to an unprecedented number of deaths in wild birds and poultry in many countries. First affecting Africa, Asia and Europe, in 2021, the virus spread to North America, and in 2022, to Central and South America. From 2021 to 2022, Europe and North America observed their largest and most extended epidemic of avian influenza with unusual persistence of the virus in wild bird populations.

--IANS

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