Bird Flu Grips The Nation Amid Coronavirus

New Delhi: The coming back of the bird flu has come as a double whammy for the country already fighting the coronavirus pandemic.

As of now, avian influenza has affected Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Kerala.

The cause behind the bird flu

Avian influenza A(H5N1) is caused by a virus subtype that occurs mainly in birds. The disease is highly contagious among birds and can be fatal. It can also be transmitted to humans. The virus was first detected in 1996 in geese in China. Asian H5N1 was first detected in humans in 1997 during a poultry outbreak in Hong Kong.

Government warning

The Central government has asked the affected states to collect samples from areas where bird flu deaths are being reported. The authorities have also launched a drive to identify those with suspected flu symptoms in the area, India Today reported.

The state governments, as a protocol, have imposed prohibitory orders in areas where bird mortality has been reported and may go for the culling of poultry if located within a kilometre of such a site, the report added.

Fact file:

• 100 crows reported dead in Madhya Pradesh’s Mandsaur.
• 30,000 birds will be culled in Kerala
• 53 carcasses of birds were found in Gujarat’s Junagarh
• Hundreds of poultry birds have died at Haryana’s Raipur Rani since December 5
• In Himachal Pradesh/Punjab, more than 1,900 migratory birds have died so far of avian flu.
• 100 birds were found dead in Rajasthan’s Jhalawar district.