Don146;t chicken out

The speed with which culling and vigilance plans have been set into motion in bird flu-hit northern Maharashtra is reassuring. The H5N1 strain of avian influenza is so virulent and spreads so fast among poultry that there is no alternative to operationalising such large-scale preventive measures upon even the whiff of the virus. So far, there is only one proven way to deal with the virus, and it has been extremely effective: to curb the disease at source. Local efforts to go house to house and inquire about the health of persons who have come in contact with the affected poultry need to be strengthened. But as news steams in of states across the country going on red alert, a sense of balance must be preserved. Over-reaction carries two grave dangers. It makes the costs of voluntary disclosures of possible infection intolerably high. And with the panic created, it leads to curtailment in trade and travel, and thereby to avoidable economic losses.

A fair amount is known about this strain of bird flu that first appeared in China in 1997, and has been on a slow spread around the world since 2003. It can be carried by wild, migratory birds but does not make them sick. In domesticated birds, however, it is immensely contagious and deadly. It has been known to spread, but in less than 200 cases so far, to humans. The main point to remember is this: the disease is not transmitted through cooked chicken and eggs. Even upon contact, washing one8217;s hands with soap and water kills the virus. And the earlier infection is detected, the more amenable it is to treatment. That is: an outbreak demands localised action, not widespread panic.

Panic, as the Surat 8220;plague8221; of the mid-1990s and the SARS outbreak in East Asia more recently show, leads to economic losses on account of slowdown in trade and travel. Instead, an atmosphere of calm and reason, of the sort seen in Thailand8217;s response to bird flu, deals with the disease, with minimum distress to the poultry trade. In Thailand, the authorities involved local volunteers in monitoring operations. Participation of stakeholders in a region8217;s economy and health brings transparency and balance in anti-epidemic measures. Announcement of red alerts by the authorities, in contrast, just invites alarm.