GUNTUR: A central expert team flagged protocol lapses at AIIMS Mangalagiri after a two-year-old girl from Palnadu tested positive for H5N1. Due to ventilator unavailability, she was treated in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) instead of a single-bed isolation ward.
The team recommended testing hospital staff for H5N1 antibodies and reviewing admissions for undetected cases. They also inspected the VRDL lab in Guntur and reviewed medical records.
The girl was admitted on March 4 with fever, cough, and respiratory distress. Initially diagnosed with pneumonia, scrub typhus, and leptospirosis, she tested positive for Influenza A on March 7, but H5N1 was confirmed only on March 31.
The Animal Husbandry Department found no bird flu outbreaks in poultry. Officials urged the public to avoid speculation. Investigations are ongoing, with efforts to strengthen surveillance and response measures.