Short Takes / Kerala tackles bird flu

The Kerala government has decided to pay compensation to the owners of hens that were culled as part of the government’s precautionary measures following the outbreak of Avian Influenza (bird flu).

Authorities had begun culling domesticated birds and hens in Kozhikode district from March 8 amid reports of a bird flu outbreak last week.

Nearly 200 trained staff and support members in as many as 25 rapid response squads of five each participated in the process of culling an estimated 12,000 birds, mostly chicken besides turkey and love birds. Officials in protective gear were engaged in the culling operation and the carcasses were burnt.

Avian Influenza

Avian Influenza (AI) is a contagious viral disease affecting several species of food producing birds (chickens, turkeys, quails, guinea fowl, etc), as well as pet birds and wild birds. Occasionally mammals, including humans, may contract Avian Influenza, says World Organisation For Animal Health (OIE).

Avian Influenza has captured the attention of the international community over the years, with outbreaks in poultry having serious consequences on both livelihoods and international trade in many countries.

Although most Avian Influenza viruses do not infect humans, some, such as Avian Influenza H5N1 and H7N9, are well known to the public because of their implication in serious and sometimes fatal infections in people.

H5N1, for example, a highly pathogenic AI virus, was initially diagnosed in humans in Hong Kong in 1997. The virus then re-emerged in 2003 and 2004, and spread from Asia to Europe and Africa causing several hundred human cases and deaths, as well as destruction of hundreds of millions of poultry. This Asiatic form of H5N1 triggered concern from scientists and authorities and remains under close surveillance due to its feared pandemic potential if a mutation allows it to be transmitted from human to human.

Nowadays, due to ongoing circulation of various strains (H5N1, H5N2, H5N8, H7N8, etc), outbreaks of Avian Influenza continue to be a global public health concern.

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