First bird flu case in India this year, confirms WHO: Here’s what you need to know

What do we know about the case from Bengal?

The child was first taken to a paediatrician with fever, abdominal pain and later seizures. The patient was admitted to the ICU of a local hospital due to persisting severe respiratory distress, recurrent high fever and abdominal cramps. The child was discharged from the hospital in February end but was re-admitted on

March 3 due to severe respiratory distress. A swab sample collected was sent to National Institute of Virology, and the virus was sub-typed to be H9N2. The child was finally discharged from the hospital with oxygen support on May 1.

The patient is likely to have contracted the disease from poultry at home and in the surrounding area.

Why is this concerning?

One, with the virus circulating in poultry, WHO expects to see sporadic cases of the infection. In its risk assessment, the inter-governmental agency said: “Most human cases of infection with H9N2 viruses are exposed through contact with infected poultry or contaminated environment… Given the continued detection of the virus in poultry populations, sporadic human cases can be expected.”

Human infection with H9N2 tends to be mild, but there have been some cases where hospitalisation was required like the one from West Bengal. There have been two deaths reported from across the world due to the infection. The WHO added that the current evidence suggests that the virus hasn’t acquired the ability to transmit from human-to-human yet.

Two, a case of bird flu reported by Australia is thought to have been exposed to the virus in Kolkata in February this year. The strain of virus in both cases, however, are different — H5N1 in the Australian case and H9N2 in the Indian case — indicating different sources of infection.

What led to increased monitoring of avian influenza?

There has been an increased focus on bird flu this year after three dairy farm workers from the US were reported to have been infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1).

“There are two types of H5N1 — low and highly pathogenic. While the low pathogenic type is usually seen in birds in the region — and has in fact caused at least two outbreaks in birds in Kerala — the highly pathogenic type is not commonly seen in birds, let alone animals,” said Dr E Sreekumar, director of the Institute of Advanced Virology-Thiruvananthapuram.

Can it cause the next pandemic?

Dr Sreekumar had said earlier that priority has to be to prevent infection spread. “However, it is important to keep an eye on the pathogen for changes that can make it more transmissible.”

The WHO has called for strengthened surveillance in both animal and human populations through “investigation of every zoonotic infection and pandemic preparedness planning.”

How to prevent the infection?

With most cases of bird flu being reported by people who handle poultry, it is important that animals and poultry are handled with care. People need to minimise contact with animals and poultry and areas contaminated with their faeces. Contact should be avoided with dead animals.

Those at high risk of severe disease such as children, older people, and pregnant women should avoid participating in slaughtering, collecting eggs, or preparation of these foods. And, everyone should wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water as often as possible, especially before and after handling animals.

As for consuming poultry, eggs, and other animal products, cook at proper temperature and prevent cross-contamination between raw and cooked food.