Indian boy dies of bird flu in country’s first such case of human death
- It is likely the first case of H5N1 among humans in India and the country’s first human bird flu death, local media said
- But a doctor assured residents there was no need to panic as human-to-human transmission of the H5N1 virus was very rare
India reported what could be its first case of human death due to bird flu after a 12-year-old succumbed to the disease.
The boy who died at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi was infected with avian influenza, according to an official at the public hospital.
A doctor from AIIMS Delhi assured residents there was no need to panic as human-to-human transmission of the H5N1 virus was very rare.
“There is no need to worry if one is eating properly cooked poultry products. There is no evidence so far that it can be spread to people through properly cooked food,” Dr Neeraj Nishal, an associate professor at AIIMS, was quoted by The Hindu as saying.
“The virus gets destroyed when the food is cooked at high temperature. One should avoid contact with infected poultry, especially ill or dying chickens,” he said.
Avian influenza is an illness that occurs mainly in birds like chickens and turkeys. While the H5N1 virus does not infect humans easily, the consequences for public health could be very serious if it becomes easily transmissible from person to person.
Infection in humans can cause severe disease and has a high mortality rate, according to the World Health Organization.
His samples tested negative for Covid-19 but positive for avian influenza, the official said. The National Centre for Disease Control has been alerted.
The hospital and India’s health ministry did not immediately respond when contacted for comment on a public holiday on Wednesday.
Earlier this year, thousands of wild birds were found dead and tens of thousands of poultry were culled after a massive wave of bird flu cases swept several states in India.
Several of the infections were from a different strain, H5N8, although India is considered to be endemic for the H5N1 virus in poultry.
