Premium

This is an archive article published on January 9, 2021

Explained: Why there is fear and anxiety over the return of bird flu

With the novel coronavirus still rampant, fear of a new virus, which causes bird flu, has spread. This virus does not normally spread from human to human — however, earlier outbreaks caused considerable losses to the poultry industry. Several states have reported deaths of birds, but mostly non-domesticated.

Written by: Parthasarathi Biswas, Anuradha Mascarenhas

5 min readPuneUpdated: Jan 23, 2021 09:59 PM IST

bird flu, bird flu india, avian influenza, h5n1, bird flu india cases, what is bird flu, india poultry sector, are eggs safe to eat, indian express

A wildlife department doctor collects a swab from a duck at Manda park in Jammu on Thursday. Several states and UTs have sounded a bird flu alert. (AP Photo)

After bird flu (avian influenza) was confirmed in Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh, high alert has been sounded in Maharashtra. Several states, which have been reporting deaths of birds, including crows and migratory species, are scrambling to have samples tested for the virus.

As anxiety spreads, there is fear of a fresh blow to the poultry industry — reports have been coming in of people giving up chicken and eggs, and of prices falling.

The infection

Bird flu or avian influenza is the name used to describe a viral infection that is reported mostly in birds, but has the potential to affect humans and other animals. The most common strain of the virus that causes severe respiratory disease in birds is H5N1; various other strains like H7, H8 too, cause infection.

The virus was first reported in geese in China in 1996. Since then, outbreaks have been reported periodically across the world. India reported the presence of the virus in Nandurbar, Maharashtra, in 2006, which led to large-scale culling of poultry birds.

Samples from Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Kerala have tested positive for the A (H5N8) strain of the virus, while samples from Himachal Pradesh have shown the presence of A (H5N1).

At a Ghazipur poultry mandi. (Express Photo: Tashi Tobgyal)

Human transmission

The H5N1 virus can jump species and infect humans from the infected bird. The first case of H5N1 infection in humans was reported in Hong Kong in 1997, when a poultry farm worker caught the infection from infected birds.

Story continues below this ad

The high mortality rate in humans — almost 60 per cent — is the main cause of concern about the spread of bird flu. In its present form, human-to-human infection is not known — human infections have been reported only among people who have handled infected birds or carcasses.

How common is it?

Between 2006 and December 31, 2018, India reported 225 epicenters of bird flu infection, which led to the culling of 83.49 lakh birds, with farmers being paid Rs 26.37 crore in compensation.

Interestingly, Maharashtra which was the first state to report the infection, has not seen an outbreak since 2006. Odisha, Tripura, and West Bengal are among the states that have reported repeated outbreaks of the infection in both domesticated and wild birds.

This time, most infections have been reported either in wild birds, crows or migratory birds, Dr A S Ranade, Dean, Bombay Veterinary College, said. Since 2006, the poultry industry has developed bio safety zones around farms, which has stopped commercially reared birds from coming in contact with any foreign feed or bird, Dr Ranade said.

Story continues below this ad

📣 JOIN NOW 📣: The Express Explained Telegram Channel

A team of health experts, from the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, visit a bird flu affected area at Karuvatta in Alappuzha district, Kerala, Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021. (PTI Photo)

Poultry meat, eggs

Dr Ranade pointed out that the chances of the H5N1 virus infecting humans is comparatively low in India as compared to South East Asian countries, mainly because of the difference in culinary habits.

“The virus dies immediately if exposed to temperatures over 70 degrees Celsius. Unlike in South East Asian countries, both meat and eggs in India are eaten well cooked, which sees them being exposed to over 100 degrees Celsius. Thus the chances of humans contracting the virus from eating chicken and eggs is extremely rare,” he said.

India consumes 30 crore poultry birds and 900 crore eggs per month on average.

Story continues below this ad

At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the poultry industry suffered a body blow after unsubstantiated rumours linked the spread of the disease with consumption of chicken and eggs. Within a span of two months, the industry suffered losses of around $ 1 billion, as people kept away from eggs and poultry meat. While the industry has managed to get back on its feet, production remains low.

INCIDENTS ACROSS INDIA

Gujarat: 124 local birds, including 70 crows, and 6 migratory species reported dead

Odisha: 120 poultry birds dead in Khurda district; government says all samples so far have returned negative for bird flu

Story continues below this ad

Uttar Pradesh: At least 10 crows found dead in Sonbhadra district; officials say cold and pollution likely cause; samples sent for testing

Rajasthan: A total 2,166 birds dead up to Friday; including 1,706 crows and 136 peacocks

Chhattisgarh: 4 crows were found dead on Thursday; samples sent for tests. Samples have been picked from seven government poultry farms too

Delhi: Around 20 crows reported dead over the last few days in East Delhi; samples sent for testing

Parthasarathi Biswas

Partha Sarathi Biwas is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express with 10+ years of experience in reporting on Agriculture, Commodities and Developmental issues. He has been with The Indian Express since 2011 and earlier worked with DNA. Partha's report about Farmers Producer Companies (FPC) as well long pieces on various agricultural issues have been cited by various academic publications including those published by the Government of India. He is often invited as a visiting faculty to various schools of journalism to talk about development journalism and rural reporting. In his spare time Partha trains for marathons and has participated in multiple marathons and half marathons. ... Read More

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

Loading Recommendations...

May 21: Latest News

Live Blog