India Reports First Bird Flu Death After 11-Year-Old Boy Succumbs to Death at AIIMS, Hospital Staff Under Isolation

NEW DELHI:

In a rather grim news from Delhi, on July 20, India announced its first bird flu death, when an 11-year-old child succumbed to the H5N1 avian influenza. Susheel, an 11-year-old boy, was diagnosed with H5N1 or Avian flu and was hospitalised to the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) in Delhi.

All staff members who were exposed to him are presently isolated and being monitored for flu-like symptoms.

Multiple states reported death of birds in January, including crows and migratory species, prompting officials to examine samples for the avian influenza virus. Bird flu has been detected in Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh, while Maharashtra has issued a high warning.

Twelve H5N8 epicentres, a type of avian influenza, have been detected in four states: Rajasthan, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh. 

On July 15, China verified one instance of human infection with the H5N6 strain of avian flu in Sichuan province, according to Reuters. 

According to official broadcaster CCTV, a 55-year-old person afflicted with bird flu in Bazhong city has been hospitalised, and local authorities have culled poultry in the area. According to the media, experts believe the illness was a one-time occurrence and that "the possibility of an unseen epidemic is exceedingly minimal."

Human instances of avian flu (Avian Influenza) occur "rarely," according to the World Health Organization (WHO), but when they do, the death rate is over 60%. 

In January, samples taken from the Red Fort in Delhi tested positive for avian flu. Following that, the Delhi government ordered the closure of the Ghazipur chicken market. In February, further samples obtained from the National Zoological Park in Delhi tested positive for Avian Influenza. In March, 261 poultry birds were found dead in Maharashtra's Amravati and Nandurbar districts with Avian Influenza. Fears of infection resurfaced in April, when up to 100 migrating birds were discovered dead in the Pong Dam lake in Himachal Pradesh.  

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