Bird flu

29.03.2024

Bird flu

Why in the news?                          

     Recently, thousands of seals and sea lions have died in different parts of the world due to bird flu.

Important points:

• Since 2020, a highly pathogenic strain of bird flu, H5N1, has been spreading around the world, threatening the survival of birds and wildlife.
• The virus has infected birds in more than 80 countries (as of December 2023).
• Marine mammals are among the most affected in the world due to bird flu.

About bird flu:

• Bird flu is also called avian flu.
• It refers to an infectious viral disease that mainly infects and spreads poultry and some wild birds.
• Not only birds but also humans and other animals get infected by this.
• However, this virus is mainly limited to birds only and in very rare cases humans also get infected by it.
• Migratory waterbirds – especially wild ducks – are natural carriers of bird flu viruses.
• Different types of bird flu viruses are found.
• The H5N1 type currently circulating is one such highly pathogenic flu virus.
• It "originates from a virus that caused an outbreak on a goose farm in Guangdong, China in 1996.
• H5N1 was the first bird flu virus to infect humans for the first time.
• It is also called avian influenza type A virus. Its first infection occurred in Hong Kong in 1997.
• The new variant of H5N1 first emerged in Europe in 2020 and then rapidly spread to Europe, Africa and Asia.
• By the end of 2021, it had spread to North America and in late 2022, it appeared in South America. In February 2024, the virus hit mainland Antarctica.

Main types of bird flu:

• There are many different types of bird flu viruses. Most of them do not infect humans.
• But there are 4 strains that can affect humans.
  • H5N1
  • H7N9
  • H5N6
  • H5N8

• H5N1, H7N9 and H5N6 do not easily infect people and do not usually spread from human to human, yet have infected many people around the world, causing many deaths.

                                                           Source:Ind