Do You Know About The Avian Influenza Spreading Across India Now?

 

The Avian Influenza which is also known as bird flu, avian flu has seen a recent outbreak in India including Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh and a few more states, until January 11^th, Monday.

This is a viral infection that can affect a wide range of organisms, from birds to humans. Typically, it is restricted to birds.

It is primarily caused by a family of avian influenza Type A viruses. The occurrence of these viruses is natural among worldwide wild aquatic aves and infects domestic poultry and other bird plus animal species.

 

Strains of the Virus Infectious to Humans

There are numerous strains of the avian influenza virus, however, only 5 of the subtypes are known to induce symptoms and eventually lead to a disorder.

These subtypes are H5N1, H7N3, H7N7, H7N9, and H9N2. Out of these too, H5N1 is the most common one to infect a human.

 

Symptoms

Usually, when a human is infected by the particular strain, symptoms become visible within two to eight days.

Moreover, it feels like common flu with accompanying issues like cough, sore throat, fever, muscle aches, headache and shortness of breath.

Advanced symptoms include diarrhoea, muscle aches and malaise.

 

Spread of Virus

Wild aquatic birds like ducks and geese, bear Influenza A. Sometimes, these birds carry the virus without advancing symptoms, eventually shedding it in their excreta.

Excreta is the origin of this series of carriers and transporters of this infection. In addition to this, pooping of this waste from bird’s body causes the virus to spread in various regions including several countries and many-a-times continents too.

The destiny of the carriers of the strain of the virus and their excreta leads to the spreading of the virus to other domestic and commercial birds and humans as well.

 

First Human-Infectious Outbreak

The outbreak of this particular influenza which resulted in Hong Kong, 1997, was the one where humans got first infected with the virus.

The initial contraction of the virus happened in a live bird market, where out of 18 infected individuals, 6 of them served as a casualty.

It was contained and had not spread on a larger scale at that point of time, however, in the later years it re-emerged, and consequently infected thousands of people worldwide, and finally resulted in a pandemic situation.

 

Reasons for the Outbreak

Some of the primary reasons which lead to such epidemic are illegal trading of birds and movement of infected poultry and migratory birds.

 

Avian Flu in India

Until now, hundreds of migratory birds have been found dead. Around 2400 migratory birds have died in Pong Dam Lake of Himachal Pradesh. In addition to this, Rajasthan witnessed the death of 250 crows, which died in the several districts of the state.

H5N8 strain has been suspected in various regions of Alappuzha and Kottayam, Kerala. Here, around 12000 ducks have lost their lives in the last week, another 36000 are at the verge of getting culled, according to the minister of the state.

In India, no case of human has been reported, which is infected by the virus, according to the Union Health Ministry.

 

Treatment

It usually involves the use of antivirals which must be taken within two days symptoms for more efficiency. According to the Union Health Ministry, oseltamivir, an antiviral drug, improves the chances of survival in humans.

 

Preventive Steps to be Taken

Good hygienic practices should be followed to cull the exposure from the viral strains, eventually preventing being infected with the virus.

The virusis sensitive to a temperature usually dies in an environment with high temperature, thus, thorough cooking of the meat ensures no further infection by the same.

After handling raw meat which is frozen or thawed, there should be proper washing and sanitization of hands. Moreover, the surfaces in contact with the meat and the utensils used to manage it should be properly disinfected and washed.

Even raw meat should be kept away with the other cooked or processed foods. Also, no raw eggs should be used in the preparation of meals.

Consumption of raw meat including raw blood, raw eggs, etc. should be avoided to the maximum limits. If seen from a larger perspective, no bird native to the areas, which witnessed an outbreak, should enter the food chain.

So, the above-mentioned preventive measures should be taken to bring a pause in this cascade of steps leading to the outbreak of Avian influenza.

 

Written by - Khushboo Dhuliya

Edited by - Christeena George