Bird Flu: Avian Influenza Is Rarely Transmitted To Humans, But When It Does, It Can Be Deadly

In a rather concerning development, India on Tuesday reported its first bird flu death after an 11-year-old boy, who was undergoing treatment at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) New Delhi, succumbed to the disease.

According to reports, the boy was brought to Delhi for treatment of what was initially thought to be a case of COVID-19 infections.

But when his COVID-19 test turned out to be negative, an influenza test was conducted.

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According to AIIMS, the boy was infected with the H5N1 strain of avian influenza.

What is H5N1?

H5N1 stands for Highly Pathogenic Asian Avian Influenza (H5N1) Virus.

"All staff who had exposure to him should monitor themselves for any signs and symptoms of flu and should report if any are present," an AIIMS official said.

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Avian influenza is a strain of the influenza virus that primarily infects birds, but can also infect humans. This type of flu is most often contracted by contact with sick birds.

Rare on humans

And it is still unclear how the boy contracted the virus, which rarely infects humans.

Almost all cases of H5N1 infection in people have been associated with close contact with infected live or dead birds, or H5N1-contaminated environments.

While it is rare for humans to get infected, the mortality rate is about 60 per cent.

The H5N1 virus can cause severe flu with a high mortality rate.

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According to World Health Organization, from January 2003 to July 8, 2021, there were 239 cases of human infection of avian influenza. Of these cases, 455 were fatal.

Infected birds shed avian influenza virus in their saliva, mucous and feces. Human infections with bird flu viruses can happen when enough virus gets into a person's eyes, nose or mouth, or is inhaled.

Bird flu symptoms

Symptoms of bird flu infection in humans include cough, fever, sore throat, muscle aches, headache and shortness of breath may occur.

The symptoms can start showing within two to eight days and can seem like the common flu.

Bird flu in India

Bird flu outbreaks are not new in India and earlier this year around 12 states across the country had reported the infection.

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It was first reported among migratory birds in Himachal Pradesh and hundreds of Bar-headed Goose and other species had died in Pong Dam reservoir area in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh.

Since then the infection was reported among several local species of birds and poultry birds in many states.

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According to experts, the reason behind the high number of bird deaths is the strain of the virus - H5N8, which is highly contagious.

According to the UK's NHS, there is no recorded data till now on H5N8 infecting humans.

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

As the country reported the first confirmed case of human death due to Avian influenza, AIIMS chief Dr. Randeep Guleria on July 21 said that human-to-human transmission of the H5N1 virus is very rare and there is no need to panic.

However, there is a need to do contact tracing and also take samples and look for any poultry deaths in the area from where the child who died due to the virus was residing, the AIIMS director told PTI.

¡°The transmission of the virus from birds to humans is rare and sustained human-to-human transmission of the H5N1 virus has not yet been established and therefore there is no need to panic.

¡°But then people working closely with poultry must take precautionary measures and maintain proper personal hygiene,¡± Dr. Guleria said.