2nd bird flu case in India: 4-year-old discharged after 5-month treatment

According to the WHO report released recently, the child was first taken to a paediatrician with fever and abdominal pain. The child later suffered seizures and was admitted to the ICU of a local hospital following persisting respiratory distress, high fever and abdominal cramps, and was discharged after treatment in February end.

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

In its risk assessment of the case, the WHO said it expects to see sporadic cases of bird flu in humans in India with the infection circulating in the poultry. “Most human cases of infection with H9N2 viruses are exposed through contact with infected poultry or contaminated environments… 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 in West Bengal. So far, two deaths due to H9N2 have been reported from across the world. here has been an increased focus on bird flu this year after three persons from the US were infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1). The problem — it was in dairy farm workers and the infection was likely transmitted from infected cows.

Dr Pragya Yadav, director in-charge of National Institute of One Health, said, “The problem with the cases in the US is that the pathogen has been detected in cows. Cases are usually reported in people handling poultry or dead wild birds. Infection in cows shows that virus has gained the ability to infect another animal, increasing its host versatility.”

“There are several subtypes of avian influenza and cases are picked up from time to time by the network of laboratories that monitor flu cases. Not all types are dangerous, but deaths due to the infection have been seen globally,” she said.

To prevent avian flu infection, people should minimise contact with animals and poultry and areas contaminated with their faeces. They should wash their hands with soap and water as often as possible, especially before and after handling 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, as per WHO guidelines.