H9N2 is not a cause for concern, say experts on virus outbreak in China

It’s an avian flu, primarily affecting birds and occasionally it can infect humans, said former president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) Dr RV Asokan while speaking to ETV Bharat's Gautam Debroy.

New Delhi: Even as China has been witnessing an outbreak of H9N2 (avian influenza virus) cases and clusters of respiratory illness among children, medical practitioners and experts in India on Saturday said that the outbreak in the neighbouring country is not a matter of concern for India. “It’s avian flu, primarily affecting birds and occasionally it can infect humans,” said former president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) Dr RV Asokan while speaking to ETV Bharat.

He further stated that India has its flu strain. “We also have a good number of vaccines, which are working fine,” said Asokan. Taking note of the outbreak of the virus in China, the Union Health Ministry has asked all its surveillance units at the airports to keep a close monitoring of the situation. “India is prepared for any kind of public health emergency. India is embarking on a One Health approach to adopt a holistic and integrated roadmap towards addressing such public health issues. There has also been a significant strengthening of health infrastructure especially since the COVID pandemic,” sources in the Health Ministry informed.

The ministry emphasised the need for strengthening surveillance among human, animal husbandry and wildlife sectors and improving coordination. “There’s a low risk from both the avian influenza cases and the clusters of respiratory illness reported from China. India is also adopting the One Health approach to look after animal and human health so that these kinds of crossovers can be detected and prevented,” said a renowned health expert and former president of the Asian Society for Emergency Medicine (ASEM) Tamorish Kole.

Stating that standard speculations should apply here, Dr Kole said, “Minimise contact with animals in areas known to be affected by animal influenza viruses, including farms and settings where live animals may be sold or slaughtered. Maintain personal and hand hygiene, including washing hands with soap, before and after contact with animals.”

Talking about the Health Ministry’s precaution of intensifying screening at the airport, Dr Koile said, “We know that travellers are a very important population to consider for tracking new and emerging infections. So, airport and seaport surveillance are very important.” It is worth mentioning that a meeting was recently held under the chairmanship of DGHS to discuss the preparedness measures against human cases of avian influenza in the country against the backdrop of a human case of H9N2 in October in China that was reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

H9N2 is a subtype of the influenza A virus, which causes human influenza as well as bird flu. The broad prevalence of H9N2 viruses in birds naturally increases the risk of transmission to mammals, especially humans. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), exposure to the virus can lead to syndromes ranging from mild, flu-like symptoms and eye inflammation to acute respiratory distress syndrome or death. The WHO’s overall risk assessment indicates a low probability of human-to-human spread and a low case fatality rate among reported human cases of H9N2.