News Analysis India

Tag: Bird flu death

  • No need to panic, say experts as India confirms the first bird flu death in humans

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: The first confirmed case of bird flu death in a human has been recorded in India but top virologists said that there is no need to panic as the human-to-human transmission of this flu is extremely unlikely.

    An 11-year-old boy from Gurugram, Haryana had died of the disease 10 days back, prompting the Centre to launch an epidemiological investigation in the case. Diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia- a type of blood cancer- in June, the child had developed symptoms of fever, cough and breathing difficulty, soon after induction therapy for cancer. 

    He was admitted to AIIMS, Delhi on July 2 and died 10 days later of multi-organ failure. It was after his death that the National Institute of Virology under the ICMR confirmed that he was suffering from bird flu, after which the National Centre for Disease Control which runs the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme started the contact tracing.

    The Union Health Ministry, on Wednesday, said that the team of doctors and nurses who had treated the child were being monitored since July 16 for the development of any influenza-like illness but no one has reported symptoms to date. Also, a 10 km area where the boy lived has been put under surveillance.

    ALSO READ | Bird flu: Probe launched into death of Gurugram boy, close contacts under surveillance

    Virus experts meanwhile pointed out that this is just one isolated case, possibly a very close contact with birds, possibly chicken or ducks.

    “Bird flu does not spread well at all from human to human. And there is a biological reason for it,” said senior virologist Shahid Jameel who is also a director with the Trivedi School of Biosciences at the Ashoka University.

    “So, I am not worried based on one case but let’s keep an eye out for more cases.”

    Clinical scientist Gagandeep Kang said that while the particular cases have triggered some concern, it will be important to track and need to investigate where and how and if there are additional cases.

    “But in general, bird flu does not spread from human to human without prolonged contact,” she said.

    According to the World Health Organisation, almost all cases of H5N1 infection or bird flu in people have been associated with close contact with infected live or dead birds, or H5N1-contaminated environments.

    Currently available epidemiologic information suggests the virus does not infect humans easily, and spread from person to person appears to be very rare.

    However, when people do become infected, the mortality rate is very high at about 60%.

  • Bird flu: Probe launched into death of Gurugram boy, close contacts under surveillance

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: The Union Health Ministry on Wednesday announced that an epidemiological investigation has been launched into the death of a 11-year-old boy, the first confirmed fatality due to bird flu in India and said that his close contacts have been put under surveillance.  

    The child from Gurugram, Haryana, had been diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia in June and developed symptoms of fever, cough and breathing difficulty, soon after an induction therapy for cancer. He was admitted to AIIMS-Delhi on July 2 and passed away ten days later due to multiple organ dysfunction.  

    Apart from AML, the boy was presented with febrile neutropenia (fever with low neutrophils) with pneumonia and shock, which progressed to acute respiratory distress syndrome. The health ministry, in a statement said that upon testing it was found that the child had both Influenza A and Influenza B but was negative for SARS COV-2 and other respiratory viruses.

    As the subtyping for Influenza A remained inconclusive with available reagents for H1N1 and H3N2 at AIIMS, the samples collected from the child were sent to the National Institute of Virology under the ICMR on July 13.

    ALSO READ| Human-to-human transmission of bird flu rare, no need to panic: AIIMS chief

    At NIV, both the samples were tested for Influenza A and Influenza B along with Influenza A seasonal (H1N1, H1N1 pdm09 and H3N2), non-seasonal avian subtypes (H5, H7, H9 and H10) by real time PCR. The result showed that the sample is positive for A/H5- a type of bird flu- and type B Victoria lineage. The whole genome sequencing and virus isolation is in process.

    Following the results, the National Centre for Disease Control which runs the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme, has activated its Haryana state unit to initiate an epidemiological investigation into the case and the matter was also reported to the animal husbandry department.

    The government said that based on the available information, the team of doctors and nurses treating the patient are being monitored since July 16 for development of any influenza-like illness but no one has reported symptoms till date. “Contact tracing was undertaken and family members, close contacts and health care workers are under close surveillance,” said the ministry adding that none of the close contacts have any symptoms.

    Contact tracing, an active search for any symptomatic case has been carried out in the hospital and area where the case resided. The Centre also said that there are no symptomatic individuals in the area at present.

    Also, said the government, animal husbandry department has not found any suspected cases of bird flu in the area and has enhanced surveillance in a 10 km zone as a precautionary measure. “Further, epidemiological investigation by NCDC, involving animal husbandry department and State government surveillance unit, is underway and appropriate public health measures have been instituted,” said the ministry.