Bird flu, also known as Avian Influenza is a disease caused by strains of avian influenza type A virus’s infection. This virus primarily affects birds and poultry farm animals. Soon after the upcoming new strain of coronavirus and Disease X, the Bird flu also came into sight. The Central Government’s declaration on the outbreak of bird flu had been confirmed in 14 states of India. Five states confirmed the infection in poultry birds, while nine others found it in crows or migratory birds. In this article, we have covered from bird flu consequences to how bird flu affects humans.
CONSEQUENCES OF BIRD FLU
Red Fort closed for public till January 26 due to Bird flu
Recently, on January 10th, around 15 crows were found dead at Red Fort premises in Delhi. They sent a sample from one of the dead birds to a Jalandhar-based laboratory for testing. A confirmatory test at the National Institute of High-Security Animal Disease, in Bhopal confirmed the presence of the H5N1 strain of avian influenza. They were all tested positive for bird flu.
Officials sent out orders to restrict the entry of visitors in Red fort as a preventive measure. The visitors on restrictions to visit from Tuesday till January 26th. The Animal Husbandry Department said that according to its action plan for control and containment of avian influenza, the monument came under the alert zone and infected area.
Apart from this on Saturday, a dead owl in the Delhi zoo had tested positive for avian influenza. This is the first case reported in the Delhi zoo.
Goa bans import of poultry eggs from Maharashtra and Karnataka
Panaji banned transportation and the entry of birds and eggs from neighboring Maharashtra and Karnataka on Tuesday. It is due to the wake of the bird flu scare. The orders issued by the North and South Goa District Magistrates come into force with “immediate effect”.
Do Bird flu from Poultry Meat, Eggs affects humans?
Bird flu can affect humans in rare cases. Firstly, there are lots of different strains of the bird flu virus. Secondly, Most of them don’t infect humans. Studies have noted that H5N1 viruses spread from poultry to humans primarily by contact with respiratory secretions, feces, blood, and the organs of infected birds.
Though there have been many cases when avian influenza viruses have crossed the species barrier and infected humans. But there exists no convincing evidence for the human to human transmission of the virus. Similarly, there is no data that proves the bird flu virus can affect humans simply by consuming infected meat.
How Bird flu affects humans
Essential Practices to follow
It’s essential to follow certain safety practices while consuming poultry products. The avian influenza virus is sensitive to heat. Therefore, cooking at 70 degrees for up to 3 seconds will undoubtedly kill the virus. If a thermometer is not available, it is advisable to cook the meat until it is no longer pink.
The Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying said that they formed a central team to monitor the situation. Also, it is conducting epidemiological studies in Maharashtra. The team is visiting other places affected by the outbreak.
Author: Aashi Bansal
Do read our another article: Amazon India launched ‘Amazon Academy’ for IIT-JEE preparation
Featured Image Credit: The Guardian
