In the background of an ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, and Himachal Pradesh have confirmed cases of bird flu.
On Monday, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala and Rajasthan reported that bird flu is the cause of death for hundreds of birds, even as several other states sounded alerts about the disease, including Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, and Jharkhand.
In the past ten days, hundreds of ducks died in Kerala while there were over 400 bird deaths recorded on Rajasthan. In Madhya Pradesh and Himachal too, similar bird deaths have been recorded.
Know about the H5N8 strain
What is Avian Influenza (AI)?
Avian influenza (AI) is a bird disease caused by influenza viruses of type ‘A’ that can affect many domestic poultry species, such as chickens, turkeys, quails, guinea fowl, ducks, etc., as well as pet birds, wild migratory birds, and waterfowl. While less common, avian influenza viruses have also been isolated from mammalian animals, including rats, rodents, weasels, ferrets, pigs, cats, tigers, dogs, horses, and humans.
What’s the risk to people?
The chance of the virus spreading to humans is very low according to experts. Many bird flu forms are harmless and one of them is H5N8.
The world over has encountered four bird flu strains: H5N1, first identified in 1996 but reemerged mostly in 2003, H7N9, H5N6, and H5N8. In 2016 H5N8 was first discovered and no human beings worldwide have been contaminated.
As in the case of H5N1, H7N9, and H5N6, the greatest risk for human transmission arises from prolonged and near contact with an infected bird – which is exposed during the care of a bird and its droppings or the preparation for cooking of infected meat.
Top Developments
In Jhalawar, carcass samples sent to the National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) have recently confirmed bird flu, though bird deaths in other districts are yet to be recorded.
As the influenza outbreak was also confirmed in some parts of Kerala, authorities ordered the killing of ducks, hens, and other domestic birds within one km of the affected areas in the Kottayam and Alappuzha districts. Officials said that to monitor the spread of the H5N8 virus, some 40,000 birds would need to be culled.
A farm in Kerala’s Kottayam recently reported the deaths of about 1,500 ducks due to bird flu. Bird flu is a highly contagious and serious respiratory disease in birds caused by the H5N1 influenza virus, which may sometimes infect humans as well.
In Himachal Pradesh, some 1,800 migratory birds, most of them bare-headed geese, were found dead in the sanctuary of Pong Dam Lake.
Archana Sharma, Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) said the laboratory at the Indian Veterinary Research Institute in Bareilly detected avian influenza in dead bird samples, citing the information provided by the Center.
At the same time, she said her department was waiting for confirmation by Bhopal, the National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), as it was the nodal agency that examined the disease.
Avian influenza was also suspected in bird samples from the Northern Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Jalandhar, she said.
In the Fatehpur, Dehra, Jawali, and Indora subdivisions of the district, Kangra District Magistrate Rakesh Prajapati prohibited the slaughter, selling, purchase, and export of any poultry, chickens, fish of any breed and related items, including eggs, meat, chicken, etc.
In Rajasthan, hundreds of crows died, leading officials to sound a state warning for bird flu. In the Jhalawar district and several other towns, including Jaipur, the dreaded virus was reported in dead crows.
The bird deaths started in Jhalawar, about 340km from the state capital of Jaipur, on December 25. Among the crows, most of the deaths were registered, with most of them from Kota and Jodhpur.
To monitor the deaths of crows in the area, an alarm was sounded in Madhya Pradesh. Between the 23rd of December and the 3rd of January 142 crows died in Indore, 100 crows died in Mandsaur, 112 crows died at Agar Malwa, and 13 crows in Khargon districts.
