Andhra: Bird flu claims first casualty; two-year-old succumbs in Palnadu

Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh has reported the first human death due to avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu.

A two-year-old child from Narasraopeta in Palnadu district succumbed to the virus, with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) confirming the cause of death and alerting the government.

According to reports, the child passed away on March 16 after exhibiting symptoms suspected to be bird flu. Samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology for testing, and on April 1, results confirmed avian influenza as the cause.

Speaking to NewsMeter, Dr. T. Damodar Naidu, Director of the Animal Husbandry Department, stated, "The child reportedly consumed raw meat, while her parents ate only cooked meat. While the parents remained unaffected, the child developed a fever and experienced difficulty in breathing. Symptoms began on February 28, and she was initially admitted to a local hospital before being transferred to AIIMS, Mangalagiri. We have conducted surveillance in the area following the confirmation. Cooked meat is completely safe, but raw meat should not be consumed."

The Health Department has sent Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) from GGH, Guntur and also 8 teams with health staff are deployed for fever survey in and around the locality. No abnormal cases are identified during the survey. The surveillance will be kept for next two weeks and testing will be organized for any suspect cases.

Eight Bird Flu Outbreaks Reported in Andhra Pradesh

According to the World Organisation for Animal Health, India has recorded eight outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu in poultry farms and backyard poultry. All incidents were detected in Andhra Pradesh's eastern region, leading to the death or culling of 602,000 birds.

Reports indicate that nine states have reported similar outbreaks, with Jharkhand and Punjab among the most affected. In response, Telangana has banned poultry imports from Andhra Pradesh after a confirmed outbreak in East Godavari district.

A month ago, the Andhra Pradesh government implemented measures to control the spread of avian influenza in West Godavari, East Godavari, Krishna, and NTR districts. The outbreak resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of poultry birds. Officials collected samples from the deceased birds and sent them to the National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) in Bhopal for analysis, which confirmed the presence of the avian influenza virus.

Precautionary Measures:

All the DM&HOs are alerted to act as per standard operating protocol given, in case of detection of any cases with severe influenza symptoms. The following arrangements are done and instructions are issued :-

Anti viral drugs are made available in all the health facilities.

10 bedded isolation wards arranged at AMC, Visakhapatnam, SMC, Vijayawada and KMC, Kurnool.

Individuals experiencing flu like symptoms are advised to seek medical attention.

DM&HOs are directed to be in touch with Animal Husbandry Department to get information about any cases of bird flu. In case of any suspected cases in poultry, fever survey to be conducted upto 1KM of affected poultry farms.

IEC campaigns is launched to educate the public on safe poultry handling practices.

The people are advised to ensure proper cooking of poultry products before consumption.

It is advised to keep away from the exposure to infected birds and poultry and also to stay away from dead or sick birds, keeping the pets away.

Prophylactic treatment will be given to contacts with Oseltamivir-75mg once everyday for 5 days.