Bird flu: Govt rushes teams to Haryana, Kerala

January 06, 2021 21:13

The central government on Wednesday said it will send top virologists to Haryana and Kerala to help the states contain the spread of avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, as the infection poses a fresh challenge before the country that is already struggling to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic.

The health ministry said multi-disciplinary teams will be deployed to Alappuzha and Kottayam districts in Kerala, and Panchkula district in Haryana after the animal husbandry department confirmed the detection of the H5N8 variant of bird flu in samples.

While the infection has not yet been reported in humans in India, the disease is zoonotic, and the secondary spread by human handling (through fomites) cannot be ruled out, the ministry said. The government has also launched a drive to identify those with suspected flu symptoms in the affected areas.

Experts from National Centre for Disease Control, National Institute of Virology, PGIMER, Chandigarh, Dr. RML Hospital and Lady Hardinge Medical College will be sent to the two states. A control room has also been set up in New Delhi to keep watch on the situation and take stock on a daily basis of preventive and control measures undertaken by state authorities.

The government said reports of avian influenza have also been reported from Jhalawar, Rajasthan and Bhind, Madhya Pradesh involving crows and migratory birds, and the department of animal husbandry has issued alerts to further intensify surveillance to detect any case in poultry birds.

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