Bird flu: Chennai Corporation on alert, to observe symptoms of avian influenza

GCC's Chief Health Officer Dr Jagadeesan said the Corporation staff have been asked to be on the alert and find out if any type of yeast-like infection is found. 
Vehicles entering Tamil Nadu via Walayar check post at outskirts of Coimbatore have been allowed only after disinfecting. (Photo | A Raja Chidambaram, EPS)
Vehicles entering Tamil Nadu via Walayar check post at outskirts of Coimbatore have been allowed only after disinfecting. (Photo | A Raja Chidambaram, EPS)

CHENNAI: In the wake of Kerala declaring bird flu (H5N8 virus strain) a state disaster, Greater Chennai Corporation officials have been told to be on the alert and check if any abnormalities are found in birds such as geese and broiler chicken. 

Speaking to The New Indian Express, GCC's Chief Health Officer Dr Jagadeesan said the Corporation staff have been asked to be on the alert and find out if any type of yeast-like infection is found. 

"We will be monitoring the situation and observe if there’s any symptoms or presence of avian influenza in birds," he said. 

He said that all the vehicles would be screened in the state border itself. The government has also ordered screening of all vehicles coming from Kerala’s Kottayam and Alappuzha, where thousands of birds were culled in the past few days, to prevent the spread of the virus. 

In 2020, lakhs of birds have been culled across the globe as the H5N8 bird flu has spread in many places like Saudi Arabia, Netherlands, United Kingdom and China, while birds in the Indian States such as Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh were also affected. 

The highly contagious viral disease comes under the A-type influenza category and affects poultry birds. 

The World Health Organisation has said that human infection with the A(H5N8) virus cannot be excluded, although the likelihood is low, based on the limited information obtained to date.

In these times, public health experts have advised people to boil meat well before consumption. "While human to human transmission is rare, it is still important for people working in poultry and butcher shops to maintain hygiene standards. Food also must be boiled well," said former director of Public Health Dr K Kolandasamy.

He said that even if there's a human transmission of the H5N8 virus, there are a lot of medicines to treat the illness and people need not worry. "Vehicles must be thoroughly disinfected on the border to remove any presence of bird droppings," he said.

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