Last Updated:
In India, the disease was first detected in the State of Maharashtra in 2006. (Representative Image)
While bird flu doesn’t affect the human body, some such as Avian Influenza or the H5N1 and H7N9 can cause serious life-threatening diseases.
A few blood samples of ducks in the Edathua Grama Panchayat and Cheruthana Grama Panchayat in Kerala have tested positive for the avian influenza virus leaving the authorities worried. This comes a day after the World Health Organization (WHO) expressed “enormous concern” over the spread of bird flu among humans. In India, the bird flu was first detected in the State of Maharashtra in 2006 and since then there have been several outbreaks of the disease in the country.
This highly pathogenic virus mainly occurs in birds. While bird flu doesn’t affect the human body, some such as Avian Influenza or the H5N1 and H7N9 can cause serious life-threatening diseases, including kidney failure, heart problems, lung failure and others.
Now in light of the recent outbreak of disease in Kerala, it is very important to know its causes, symptoms and precautions of the disease.
Causes:
1. The most important thing is to understand how a human contracts the virus.
2. The disease is transmitted into the human body via saliva, mucus or droppings of an infected bird into a person’s nose, mouth or eyes.
3. The virus also gets transmitted to a human body if the person comes in contact with an infected bird or a contaminated surface.
4. There have been instances of the virus spreading from person to person. But these cases have been very limited.
5. Pregnant women, people with low immunity or the elderly are mostly at higher risk of getting sick due to bird flu.
Symptoms:
Once you contract the virus, its symptoms are seen within two to three days. At the beginning, it might seem like just a seasonal flu, but can range from mild to severe.
Symptoms include Cough, cold, headache, fatigue, nausea, muscle pain, high fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, conjunctivitis, abdominal pain, and nose bleeding.
The disease varies from mild to severe, at times it can be deadly too. It can last up to 7 to 15 days.
Precautions:
1. The best and most effective way to keep yourself from the deadly virus is to avoid direct contact with an infected bird or a contaminated area. Avoid touching such surfaces.
2. If affected, take medical help as soon as possible.
3. People working at poultry farms must follow all the safety norms and wear gloves, and face masks and wash their hands properly.
4. Avoid visiting any place where birds and eggs are sold under unhygienic conditions.
5. The treatment of the disease includes some antiviral medicines like oseltamivir which can help reduce the severity of the disease.