While the world is finding ways to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, another flu recently created a panic situation amongst the Indian citizens. Lately, a rise in the cases of Bird Flu or Avian Influenza was in the media and heartbreaking pictures of birds being found dead in a large number went viral. But is bird flu as serious as COVID-19? Can it be fatal too? To know more about the same, the ETV Bharat Sukhibhava team spoke to Dr. Pradeep Kiran Panchadi, DNB (Pulmonary Medicine) and consultant Interventional Pulmonologist.
What Is Bird Flu And How Does It Spread?
Dr. Pradeep explains that Avian Influenza (AI) or Bird Flu is an infectious influenza virus of the birds, which affects wild aquatic birds, especially ducks or geese. It spreads from wild to domestic birds including poultry like chicken, ducks, goose, etc. The virus usually spreads from one bird to another through contamination like mucus, saliva, or bird droppings (stool). Human infection is very rare and typically resides in the bird itself. However, the first human infection generally occurs in the poultry farmers, where they handle an ill bird’s secretions without wearing protective gear like gloves or masks. If the virus in the bird is very pathogenic, then only it can be contracted by humans, otherwise, it infects birds only.
The first outbreak of bird flu, the HPAI A(H5N1) virus, was recorded in 1997 in China. But not all types of AI viruses affect humans. The two main viruses that have been seen to cause serious infections in humans include A(H5N1) and A(H7N9). Other types that have affected the human population include H7N3, H7N7, and H9N2.
Symptoms And Complications Of Bird Flu
Dr. Pradeep says that symptoms of bird flu are not any different from any other flu. If one is infected with AI, he/she may present the following symptoms:
- Cold
- Running nose
- Fever
- Sneezing
- Sore throat
- Cough
- Body pain
In extreme cases, one may have breathing difficulties. As the infection processes or complicates, a person may suffer from severe pneumonia, respiratory failure and even Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrome (MODS) i.e. the virus may affect other organs than the respiratory system. But bird flu causing such dramatic complications is not so common. “Infected cases may range from 600-1000, but deaths are less than 100”, by which we can say that it is not as fatal as the current pandemic.
How Can It Be Prevented?
Since prevention is better than cure, bird flu too can be prevented in several ways. Our expert explains the following:
- Isolation- as soon as the signs and symptoms of the spread of bird flu are noticed by the government, they should isolate the area, where the birds are being found dead like in poultry farms, up to 1km so that it does not spread any further in the city.
- Culling- Culling means killing off any of the possibly infected birds so that other healthy birds who are at a higher risk of infection are not affected.
- Quarantine- If any person is showing any flu-like symptoms, especially people who are in contact with these birds, should be quarantined
- Vaccination- Vaccination does not imply human vaccination, as it is not yet available. But, it refers to the vaccination of the birds, which have been taking place from time to time, but the results are not as satisfactory.
- Proper Cooking- It is to be noted by people that the poultry food that they eat like chicken, meat, eggs, etc. should be properly cooked or boiled to avoid any possible infection from the food.
Treatment
Dr. Pradeep informs us that currently there are four drugs that are available right now for the treatment of bird flu, which includes:
- Oseltamivir
- Zanamivir
- Peramivir
- Baloxavir marboxil (latest drug)
Therefore, as soon as you witness the aforementioned symptoms and you think you may have contracted the virus, consult a doctor immediately. Do not start the medication on your own. These drugs may also be used for treating swine flu.
The treatment should be started within two days of contracting the infection. In mild cases, the person may recover. However, in case of severe infection, death can occur within 8-12 days.
COVID-19 And Bird Flu
As the treatment of COVID includes immunomodulators and steroids, this further decreases immunity, therefore chances of acquiring Bird flu among COVID patients may be higher. The novel coronavirus tends to decrease immunity in an infected person. Therefore, there might be chances of cross-infection in people.
