Delhi bird flu scare: AAP govt should release health advisory with dos and don’ts

Even as Delhi hobbles back to Net Maddy normalcy after the chikungunya and dengue health scare that reached endemic proportions last month, the national capital faces yet another health exigency: bird flu.
The government is monitoring bird sanctuaries and the Gazipur Murga Mandi, the sole meat market in the city.
“Samples from the mandi and other sources have been sent for testing to Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (RDDL), Jalandhar, and High-Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL), Bhopal, and the results are expected on Saturday,” a government source said.
It remains to be seen if the rickety health services system of the city (and the country) — that was found wanting just a few weeks back during the dengue and chikungunya outbreak had hit the population — will be prepared enough to deal with a crisis if any.
Representational image. ReutersRepresentational image. Reuters
However, ever since the first bird flu outbreak in India a decade ago — in Gujarat and Maharashtra in February 2005 — India has never had a human case of H5N1 viral infection, even though there has been an outbreak of the disease almost every other year.
Delhi’s development minister, Gopal Rai, has asked citizens not to panic, as the virus hasn’t yet entered the food chain.
Despite the minister’s reassurance, is there no cause for concern?
A stroll around any city area is enough proof that municipal services are not at their best international level, as should be the case, considering that Delhi is the nation’s capital and is being heavily promoted as an investment destination globally. Is Delhi ready to take on the world as a global capital, or is it another Third World city with more negatives than positives?
The Supreme Court, too, has heavily criticized the AAP government for garbage piling up in the city and for poor sanitation. The apex court has also expressed concern over the bird flu scare in the national capital.
While the bird flu panic is slowly spreading, experts strongly feel that it’s high time the government issued an advisory with ‘dos’ and’ don’ ts’ on bird flu.
“The central government should issue an advisory with ‘dos’ and ”dons to combat bird flu nationwide. It’s not just limited to Delhi. District magistrates and district forest officials should be sensitized. Moreover, awareness regarding avian flu needs to be created especially for children, to avoid any panic,” Anand Arya, an environment expert specializing in birds, told Firstpost.
Source of avian (bird) flu scare
The scare of avian flu ( the official name of bird flu) originated in Delhi after the Delhi zoo reported over a dozen dead birds on its premises. It was followed by the death of birds at Deer Park, Hauz Khas, and near a water body at Sundar Nagar. Besides local birds, migratory birds died on zoo premises. While the RDDL Jalandhar detected symptoms of the virus in the samples of carcasses of birds tested, Bhopal’s HSADL confirmed the H5N1 virus in three birds. H5N1 is the virus that causes bird flu.
– Delhi Zoo: 12 birds found dead. (Of these, three are confirmed bird flu cases).
– Deer Park: 5 birds found dead.
– Sundar Nagar: 3 crows found dead.
– Gwalior Zoo: 15 birds found dead. (The aerial distance between Gwalior and Delhi is only 285 km).
Source of Bird flu virus (H5N1)
Bird flu virus already exists in a dormant state near the border of India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, China, and Russia. It can become active. The other source is a migratory bird. The virus infects and kills wild birds and domestic poultry.
“Nearly 225 migratory species visit India every year, starting in September. We get migratory birds in almost all the 7.57 lakh wetlands in the country. It’s serious if any of the flock gets infected,” said Arya.
Past incidents
– The First confirmed and notified the H5N1 outbreak in India, which was reported in Gujarat and Maharashtra in February 2005.
– The second major outbreak was in March-April 2006 in Madhya Pradesh — where more than 10 lakh poultry birds were culled.
– 2007 it was in Manipur, followed by West Bengal in 2008. More than 40 lakh birds were killed in Bengal.
– The outbreak occurred in Tripura, Odisha, Sikkim, Assam, and Bihar in consecutive years.
– The last bird flu outbreak was reported in 2015 in Kerala.
– In 2005, 50-60 birds were found dead at Okhla Bird Park in Delhi, which created a panic. However, after post-mortem, it was found that the birds died after consuming poisonous feed used to catch fish.
– In India, no bird flu infecting humans has been reported yet.
– Large-scale culling of poultry birds took place in a decade, causing huge financial losses to the poultry business.
Can I consume egg and chicken?
Experts say no bird flu has been reported in poultry so far. Properly cooked eggs and chicken are safe to consume.
“Most bacteria and viruses can’t survive high heat. Instead of consuming cold meat, it’s preferable to have properly cooked, roasted chicken and eggs in the form of boiled and omelet,” advised Arya.
What government has done so far?
– The Delhi government has started a helpline number (011-2389 0318) where citizens can report cases of bird flu and seek help.
– Many samples have been taken from zoos, bird sanctuaries, and poultry markets and sent for testing.
– Municipal corporations have deployed teams to check flu.
– The Delhi government is keeping a strict vigil on the poultry market.
– Delhi minister Gopal Rai said that the Delhi government is well-equipped with medicines to deal with the situation.
– Central Zoo Authority is inspecting zoo enclosures.
– Delhi Zoo and Deer Park have been shut down.
Precautionary measures
According to medical experts, one shouldn’t touch a dead bird or the carcass and keep a safe distance. It should immediately be reported to the authorities concerned.
Physical contact with bird droppings should be avoided because any bird can be an infected one. Extreme care should be taken while cleaning droppings because most human infections are from close contact with sick or dead infected poultry or droppings.
– Anyone suffering from fever must take medical advice.
– Avoid spreading rumors and panic.

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