Human bird flu infection confirmed in India amid concern over avian flu outbreaks in U.S. farm animals
New Delhi — As a string of recent bird flu cases in U.S. cattle and poultry in several states draws warnings about the risks of possible widespread transmission to humans, India has had its second-ever human avian influenza infection confirmed by the World Health Organization. The U.N. health agency confirmed that a suspected case, a 4-year-old child in the eastern state of West Bengal, was infected with the H9N2 avian flu virus.
India’s first human avian flu case was confirmed in 2019. The cases in India involve a different bird flu virus than the one infecting animals and several people in the U.S., where it is the H5N1 strain spreading through herds.
The 4-year-old Indian child was first diagnosed with hyperreactive airway disease, but he developed a fever and abdominal pain in the last week of January this year. A few days later, he developed seizures and his respiratory distress continued. The fever got worse along with the abdominal cramps, and the child was admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit.
Third human case of bird flu tied to dairy cattle outbreak
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The U.N.’s global health agency has urged people to “minimize contact with animals” where infections are suspected, avoid contact with any surfaces that appear to be contaminated with animal feces, and to “strictly avoid contact with sick or dead animals” and practice hand hygiene.
Children, older people and pregnant and postpartum women need to be extra cautious, the WHO says.
Source: cbsnews.com