China’s National Health Commission (NHC) recently unveiled news about a unique instance of Bird flu. A four-year-old boy is the first-ever human to contract the H3N8 variant of Bird Flu. The child exhibited several symptoms, including a fever. Until this report, the H3N8 strain was only identified in horses, dogs, birds, and seals, excluding humans.
Understanding Bird Flu
Commonly known as avian flu or bird flu, Avian Influenza is borne by viruses well-suited to birds. While most avian influenza viruses do not cross the species barrier to infect humans, a few like A(H5N1) and A(H7N9) have led to serious infections in human populace. Unfortunately, no vaccine against H5N1 exists. These avian viruses have caused disease or subclinical infections in humans and other mammals too.
One such subtype, the highly pathogenic Avian (H5N1) virus, first infected humans in 1997 during a poultry outbreak in Hong Kong SAR, China.
Types of Influenza Virus
The influenza viruses are classified into four types: A, B, C, and D. Out of these, Influenza A and B cause epidemic seasonal infections almost every year. Type A viruses, further classified based on two proteins on their surfaces – Hemagglutinin (HA) and Neuraminidase (NA), have about 18 HA and 11 NA subtypes leading to numerous combinations such as H5N1, H7N2, H9N6, H17N10, H18N11 etc.
Influenza C primarily infects humans but can also occur in dogs and pigs, whereas influenza D is currently found mainly in cattle without any known infections or illnesses in humans.
Why Bird Flu Viruses Pose a Concern?
The discussions around the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has intensified concerns about animal- and bird-borne viruses. The evolution and inevitability of new strains, especially those found in domesticated animals and birds, are unsettling. With avian influenza viruses prevalent in poultry, sporadic infection of avian influenza in humans seems unavoidable, emphasizing the continuous threat of an influenza pandemic.
Transmission of Bird Flu to Humans
Numerous subtypes and strains of avian influenza viruses have been discovered worldwide, some deadly to humans and others causing serious losses for poultry farmers. Human to human transmission is rare, typically necessitating intimate and constant physical contact; however, when it does occur, the infection proves virulent and fatal in nearly 60% of cases. People can contract the virus while handling an infected bird without proper protection or exposure to water contaminated with droppings of an infected bird. Infected individuals often exhibit symptoms akin to seasonal flu such as fever, body ache, sore throat, runny nose, headache, and fatigue; however, these can rapidly escalate to severe respiratory distress.
Addressing the Bird Flu Threat
As a key agricultural country with expansive poultry industry, India has adopted an action plan released by the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying, and Fisheries to tackle avian influenza. This plan outlines a clear strategy for preventive checks, testing, reporting outbreaks, removing affected farm birds, and compensating farmers. It is based on comprehensive periodic testing of farm birds and wet markets and strengthening key scientific institutions like the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases, Bhopal.
Early detection and identification of virus subtypes aid in executing containment measures. Public health messaging about poultry consumption during a suspected outbreak is crucial to control the outbreak and curb rumor-spreading. The success of these measures depends significantly on the readiness of the state-level animal husbandry apparatus in collecting samples and raising alerts about potential disease outbreaks.
Related UPSC Civil Services Examination Questions
In 2015, a question was asked about the H1N1 virus in reference to a specific disease. The answer was ‘Swine Flu,’ as H1N1 is associated with this particular disease. In 2009, the World Health Organization declared swine flu caused by H1N1, a global pandemic. This condition’s typical symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, chills, weakness, and body aches.
Last Modified: February 15, 2024