Central Travancore a sitting duck for avian flu

Sub: Science and tech

Sec: Health

Context:

Kerala’s Kuttanad region is battling another devastating outbreak of bird flu (H5N1), but this time the disease has spread beyond the region and infected crows, kites, pigeons and herons, unlike previous times when it was restricted mostly to poultry. For the first time though, there’s fear of the loss of livelihood and anxiety of humans contracting the disease.

Details:

Crows, herons, kites, pigeons, and even peahen have tested positive, raising concerns about a wider spread caused by a virulent mutation of the virus, challenges in curbing the spread, and a possible jump to humans.
H5N1 has high pathogenicity.
Avian influenza poses a potential threat to human beings for two reasons: its ability to mutate rapidly and its propensity to acquire genes from viruses infecting other species such as humans.
Sporadic bird flu infections have been reported in humans, but no human-to-human transmission has been reported so far.
It has left Snow White, a duck breed developed by the Niranom farm, on the verge of extinction.
Chara and Chembally are two local breeds.
The National Institute of High-Security Animal Disease (NIHSAD) is in Bhopal.

Kuttanad region:

Kerala’s Alappuzha district.
A below-sea-level region defined by Vembanad Lake, rivers, canals, and swathes of paddy fields, is visited by large flocks of migratory birds.
Kuttanad Wetland Agriculture System is unique, as it is the only system in India that favours rice cultivation below sea level in the land created by draining delta swamps in brackish waters. As an approach to cope with the imminent climate impacts in coastal areas and evolve efficient methods, it aims to deal with soil availability and flood issues in agriculture.

About Avian Influenza (AI):

Avian influenza (AI) is a highly contagious viral disease affecting several species of food-producing birds (chickens, turkeys, quails, guinea fowl, etc.), as well as pet birds and wild birds.
Occasionally mammals, including humans, may contract avian influenza.
Influenza A viruses are classified into subtypes based on two surface proteins, Hemagglutinin (HA) and Neuraminidase (NA). For example, a virus that has an HA 7 protein and NA 9 protein is designated as subtype H7N9.
Avian influenza virus subtypes include A(H5N1), A(H7N9), and A(H9N2).
- HPAI A(H5N1) virus occurs mainly in birds and is highly contagious among them.
- HPAI Asian H5N1 is especially deadly for poultry.
Prevention: Strict biosecurity measures and good hygiene are essential in protecting against disease outbreaks.
Eradication: If the infection is detected in animals, a policy of culling infected and contact animals is normally used in an effort to rapidly contain, control and eradicate the disease.

Source: TH