Amidst the coronavirus pandemic, a new outbreak is looming large, with the Avian flu or the bird flu spreading across 10 states in India, killing lakhs of birds, including poultry, ducks, crows and migratory birds over the past two weeks. 

All the states have been issued an advisory to control the spread of the virus by boosting surveillance around water bodies, live bird markets, zoos and poultry farms, and large-scale culling operations are also underway to prevent further spread. Surprisingly, just three months after India declared itself to be free of the avian influenza outbreak, the highly pathogenic avian influenza subtypes, H5N1 and H5N8, have been reported from a dozen epicenters in several states.

Unlike the human quarantine and vaccination for Corona, the birds are culled and banned for consumption purposes. Looking at the hue and cry of the poultry farmers, the Government later lifted the ban for closing the Mandis. But the public is yet to come out of the trauma and is scared to consume both the chicken and its eggs. Many of the Non-vegetarians have shifted to vegetables or mutton as an alternative. Back home, in rural areas, the marginalised households, making their livelihood with few hens, have gone scary, and are looking for new avenues.    

Only those coming in close contact with infected (alive or dead) birds for a long time can contract the H5N1 virus, which does not usually spread from person to person, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Most other strains of bird flu cannot be transmitted to humans. Health experts confirm that well-cooked chicken or poultry products such as eggs (heated over 70 degrees Celsius) kill the virus and are, therefore, safe to consume.

The receptor used by the virus that causes the bird flu is very different from the receptors needed for human flu. Thus, it is very unlikely for the infection to pass on to humans unless there is some recombination or mutation that allows the virus to enter human cells. Second, it does not pass from humans to humans. It is not a respiratory infection like Covid-19 and can happen to humans only if they are handling the dead infected birds or poultry that has been infected, said Dr Shobha Broor, former head of the department of microbiology at Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). “However, once a person is infected, the disease tends to be severe. The bird flu virus usually attaches with the lower respiratory tract, and ensures pneumonia,” she added.

One of the most severe pandemics, almost a century back, was that of 1918, caused by H1N1 virus, with genes of avian origin. It is estimated that about 500 million people or one-third of the world’s population became infected with this virus, leading to 50 million casualties. 

While tests have confirmed H5N1 for causing the deaths of over 2,000 migratory birds in Himachal Pradesh, H5N8 has been identified for killing thousands of ducks and chickens in Kerala and hundreds of crows in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. The virus was predominantly found in wild birds and a few in poultry and captive birds. H5N1 and H5N8 were two of three subtypes found in Europe. Genetic analysis helped confirm the spread from Asia to west-central Europe, suggesting a “persistent circulation of this virus strain, likely in wild birds in Asia”.

At least 24 samples from different locations in Delhi of the over 201 samples sent to Bhopal’s National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute have turned positive. According to the Animal Husbandry Department, over 1200 birds have died since January 6, 2021. Delhi Government has ordered all government departments to spread “chuna” (lime powder) around every water body. Anti-virus Sodium Hypochlorite will also be sprayed around all water bodies where birds gather. Earlier, in the wake of bird flu scare, the ‘murga mandis’ were shut down, and shops selling poultry meat and eggs recorded a "noticeable dip" in sales over the last few weeks.

A three-member Central Government team visited Kerala to assess the situation arising out of the bird flu outbreak in the Alappuzha and Kottayam districts of the state. The team was deployed for monitoring and epidemiological investigation. As many as 50,935 birds have been culled to stop the spread of the bird flu. This is in addition to the 25,000 odd birds that had died due to the bird flu outbreak in the state. In Kerala, The State Animal Husbandry Minister K Raju said that the government would compensate farmers whose domestic birds will be culled. 

In Pong wildlife sanctuary, Himachal Pradesh, around 381 migratory birds were found dead, taking the death toll of the birds from the avian influenza to 3,409. In the wake of several reports of poultry, crows, migratory bird deaths, the Centre has established a central Control room to strategise, co-ordinate and facilitate state governments with regard to outbreak management, disease control and containment.

Bird flu, or avian influenza, is a viral infection that mostly infects birds, but can also be passed on to humans and other animals. The most common form of the flu, H5N1, is deadly to birds and easily spreads to humans. Symptoms of the H5N1 infection are similar to a common flu, the most common being coughing, respiratory problems, fever and headaches.

The main cause for concern is the high mortality rate, 60 per cent in humans who contract the most common strain of bird flu. However, it is a short-term flu and may be treated within days to weeks using anti-viral drugs.

The bird flu can be kept at bay, by avoiding live animal markets and poultry farms, avoiding contact with dead birds and bird droppings, and frequently washing hands and maintaining hygiene. According to the WHO, a large number of human infections have been linked to the home slaughter and subsequent handling of sick or dead birds prior to cooking.

The highest risk of exposure to bird flu is when there is contact with infected avian fecal matter, for example during slaughter, defeathering, and butchering.

According to Central Government’s bird flu action plan, culling is aimed at protecting humans, since the first transmission to humans in 1997. Though wild birds may carry the bird flu, only domestic poultry birds are culled since they are present in close proximity with people, raising the chances of transmission of the virus to humans. The birds are to be culled by a quick twisting of the neck (cervical dislocation) as per the Action Plan for Prevention, Control and Containment of Avian Influenza. Now, the birds being culled are required to first administer an oral anesthesia to birds weighing above three kilograms.

While avian influenza virus crossing the species barrier and directly infecting humans happens occasionally, human-to-human spread has been rare. But mutations or genetic reassortment of an avian influenza A virus and a human influenza A virus in a person can create a new influenza A virus that could likely result in sustained transmission between humans, thus increasing the risk of a pandemic influenza. 

Bird lovers are on the lookout for an alternative, be it a cow dung therapy or a vaccine. Bird flu is talk of the town after row over love birds! The life-threatening viruses, after enlightening to be indoors, is teaching to live without eating chicken. What next?