Bird Flu ( Part - 2 )

Bird Flu / Avian Influenza

What is bird flu?

Bird flu or avian flu is a form of viral (HPAI) infection. It affects all kinds of birds, not just the ones that we usually consume. 

Usually, it spreads from bird to bird. Waterfowl like wild ducks and hens that travel up and down rivers are the primary carriers of bird flu and spread the infection wherever they go. 

Cross-species infection or movement of the infection from one species to another is comparatively rare. But it is not impossible. Humans and other mammals can get infected by affected birds.

How do humans get infected?

This brings us to the question of how bird flu spreads from birds to mammals. Like all viral infections, bird flu to spreads through contact.

The secretions from an infected bird’s respiratory tract, nose, and eyes as well as bird droppings contain the viral load. If that comes in contact with our noses, mouths, or eyes, we can get bird flu.

Is bird flu more dangerous than other types of flu?

Having lived with the COVID pandemic for almost a year now, whenever we hear of a new disease, we ask this question – how contagious is it? The good news is that bird flu hardly ever spreads from one human to another. There are very very few instances of one human catching the viral infection from another infected person.

But that does not make it less dangerous than other types of viral infections. In fact, bid flu is deadly. It has a mortality rate of 60%, which means that it kills 60% of the people it infects.

Bird flu is spreading rapidly in India

Bird flu is rapidly expanding across India. Even a couple of days ago it was restricted to 4 states. Now, it has spread to a total of 8 states and 1 union territory (Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Kerala). Delhi has recently confirmed cases of bird flu from samples collected from dead crows and ducks.  

How to keep yourself safe from bird flu?

Bird flu spreads through contact with the secretions from infected birds. So the best way to prevent contracting bird flu is to stay away from both live and dead birds because they could be infected. 

If you feed birds, then do it from a distance. Make sure you don’t let stray birds like pigeons or crows into your home. Their droppings could be infected. Do not hold or touch birds. 

Wash and sanitize your hands frequently. Even if you have unknowingly come in contact with bird secretions, this will kill the viruses.

If you are into the poultry business, and your state has reported outbreaks of bird flu, then contact the authorities. 

Can I get bird flu from eggs and bird meat?

Bird flu does not spread through the consumption of well-cooked chicken or duck or their eggs. This is a common misconception. Eating bird meat and eggs is safe. WHO has confirmed that when you thoroughly wash and clean bird meat and eggs and then cook them at high temperatures, all viruses die. 

But if bird flu reaches your state, thousands of chickens and ducks will be culled, which will create a shortage of lean meat and eggs. So these might go off your menu anyway. 

Is bird flu harmful to humans?

More than a dozen types of bird flu have been identified, including the two strains that have most recently infected humans — H5N1 and H7N9. When bird flu does strike humans, it can be deadly.

How many people did bird flu kill?

It killed an estimated 50 million people around the world.

What year was the bird flu epidemic?

The year 2005 has been dubbed 'the year of bird flu'. Across the globe, the fear of avian influenza has caused government officials to place a higher priority on developing plans to deal with pandemic influenza.

Is the bird flu still around?

The virus continued to kill chickens and to occasionally infect and sometimes kill people. But as the years passed, the number of human H5N1 cases subsided. There has not been a single H5N1 human infection detected since February 2017. This is the good news.