'India's first human death from Avian Influenza alarming, need to trace origin'

Indias first ever death due to H5N1 virus which is also known as Avian Influenza or Bird Flu at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences AIIMS in Delhi on Tuesday that of an 11yearold boy has focused the medical experts attention on this serious matterThe medical experts said the report of a human death from H5N1 is alarming and needs to be examined thoroughly for its origin and variants and immediate measures need to be takenA senior doctor in AIIMS however said There is no other patient infected with Avian Influenza in AIIMSSenior doctors said that there is a possibility of several cases of Bird Flu but the mortality rate so far is very low It also depends on the variant as different strains of the virus have a different impact on the human bodyThere is a possibility of having some cases of Bird Flu in Delhi also but it is the first time such a serious thing has emerged The death of a human is absolutely alarming for public health and it needs to be taken seriously said Dr B L Sherwal medical director of Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty HospitalThis case needs to be examined very carefully so that its origin can be traced and examined in a genome sequencing lab to find out more about it We need to know whether it has come from chicken or wild bird Sherwal addedAccording to medical experts avian influenza H5N1 or H5N8 is commonly called Bird Flu though many other strains are prevalent It spreads through droppings saliva and secretions of birdsVirus enters the human body by inhalation or through the nose mouth or eyes Whenever a person touches his mouth or nose with dirty hands there is a chance of infection Bird Flu is a contagious respiratory illness and the symptoms are the same as the common cold However the disease severity varies from mild illness to severe disease Mortality from bird flu can be as high as 60 per cent said Dr Neetu Jain PSRI HospitalJain said mostly people working with poultry get affected by Bird Flu People should avoid coming in contact with infected poultry directly they should avoid consuming undercooked chicken and eggsShe said that people who are in regular touch with birds should get a yearly flu vaccine shot It will not prevent bird flu but can reduce the risk of coinfection with other flu viruses Jain addedAccording to AIIMS the boy who died there on Tuesday was infected with the H5N1 virus and belonged to Haryana He was admitted on July 2 with pneumonia and leukaemiaA senior doctor in AIIMS informed that a team from the National Centre for Disease Control NCDC has been sent to the boys village in Haryana to check for more H5N1 cases and carry out contact tracingEarlier this year thousands of wild birds were found dead and tens of thousands of poultry were culled after a massive wave of bird flu cases swept several states including HaryanaSeveral of the infections however were from a different strain of the virus H5N8 which experts say is less dangerous to humansIANS also tried to find out about bird flu cases in the national capital However Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain was yet to reply on itThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever