# 7603
In a bit of a follow up to this morning’s report (see Nepal: Human H5N1 Testing (Or Lack Thereof) where news reports suggested two humans may have died from the H5N1 virus, Nepal’s EDCD has reportedly issued a flat denial that bird flu has spread to humans in that country.
Their investigative team reportedly found no contact between the two patients who died and diseased poultry, which they believe rules out H5N1.
Contrary to earlier reports which stated no samples had been taken for testing, this report now claims `a laboratory report . . . confirmed that the victims had not been infected with H5NI virus’.
No mention is made of the remaining case, whose lab tests are supposedly pending.
Bird flu has not spread to human, says govt
REPUBLICA ONLINE
KATHMANDU, Aug 26: The government has scotched rumors that two women died of bird flu in Bharatpur of Chitwan district.
Issuing a press statement on Monday, the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division (EDCD) of the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) made it clear that the deaths of two patients at the Teaching Hospital of College of Medical Science, Bharatpur were not related to the avian influenza or H5N1 virus.
Dr G.D. Thakur, Director of the EDCD, stated that both patients died of pneumonia.
The EDCD had to issue the statement after bird flu was suspected to have caused the deaths of Amrita Shrestha, 25, of Nawalparasi district, and Binu Pudasaini, 41, of Makawanpur district on Saturday.
Both were admitted to the hospital after they suffered from common cold and fever.
I’ve checked Nepal’s Ministry of Health & Population and the Department of Health Services websites, and have not been able to find any official announcement.
As always with dueling reports like these, we’ll simply have to wait to see what happens next.
