West Bengal govt issues guidelines to keep bird flu at bay – Times of India

KOLKATA: The state health department is keeping a close watch on the spread of avian influenza that has hit at least nine states in the country. So far, Bengal has remained untouched by H5N1 or bird flu, but health experts said in the absence of precautionary measures, the infection could cross state borders in no time.

The state health department on Monday issued an extensive guideline on preparedness to prevent bird flu from reaching Bengal. The advisory issued to chief medical officers of health (CMOH)s of all districts and that of Kolkata Municipal Corporation asks health officials to step up surveillance and keep all public health machinery ready. “Though bird flu is a rare disease among humans and is similar to common cold or flu, it can turn dangerous. Several cases have been reported in Bengal in the past few years though those did not lead to outbreaks. Surveillance should be carried out strictly to check the spread. At the same time, people must be aware and take proper precaution, like cooking the meat and eggs adequately to get rid of pathogen,” said public health expert Anirban Dalui.
The avian flu cases started with unexplained deaths of birds and poultry in Kerala, Rajasthan and Haryana this year. Later, those were confirmed as avian influenza deaths and the infection gradually spread to 10 states.
Bengal government has told all district health officials to keep a tab on unusual deaths or symptoms in birds or poultry and alert the animal husbandry and public health departments immediately. The advisory also says public awareness programmes be taken up in order to prevent bird to human interface and that people must wear gloves, goggles and masks while handling sick or dead birds. “Like in Covid-19, people handling sick or dead birds or poultry should wear preventive gears, like PPE, as bird-to-human transmission of H5N1 mostly happen while handling them. It hardly spreads from properly cooked meat. Since the virus is heat sensitive, thoroughly cooked meat should not be a concern as far infection is concerned. Oseltamivir is the medication if a person get infected,” said Sanjib Bandyopadhyay, community medicine specialist, ID Hospital.
The health department has also asked all districts to keep sufficient stock of PPE kits, VTM (viral transport medium), swab sticks and oseltamivir capsules and syrups.