Death of two-year-old in Andhra linked to bird flu, mysterious source of H5N1 infection leaves officials puzzled

A two-year-old in Andhra Pradesh has died from bird flu, making it the first case ever recorded in the state’s history and also the first in the country after four years. The case has led to curious questions on how she contracted Avian Flu H5N1 in the first place. 

 

The deceased hails from Narsaraopeta in coastal Andhra. According to officials, the child’s family purchased raw chicken and during the process of cooking, the child ate a raw piece. 

 

This incident took place in the third week of February. Two days later, the child picked up a fever and she was admitted to a hospital with a suspected stomach infection. In the next 20 days, her condition worsened and she was admitted at AIIMS Mangalagiri. Her condition worsened and her kidneys and liver got severely affected leading to multi-organ failure. 

 

The child's samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) Pune which confirmed the presence of Avian Influenza or bird flu virus. 

 

After receiving the news, the state Animal Husbandry Department initiated an enquiry and visited the poultry shop which supplied the chicken to the family. “We went to the poultry farm which sold birds to the shop. There was no trace of bird flu in either the farm or the shop. Even the workers were not affected. The family members who consumed chicken were also in perfect health,” said an official. 

 

The officials also carried out surveys in poultry farms in the nearby areas and did not find any flu outbreak. What puzzled officials was that during the third week of February and March, there was no large-scale culling of bird flu as it was thought to be under control. The officials have termed the case as the most unfortunate and assured the public that cooked chicken and boiled eggs were safe for consumption. 

Health