No cases of bird flu in Indians as yet: Expert

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

Hyderabad, June 28 (UNI) Eminent Pulmonologist K Sudhakar today said no human case of Bird Flu had been reported in the country so far.

Participating at a workshop on 'Avian Influenza' organised by the Indian Medical Association here, Dr Sudhakar said though Bird Flu had infected fowl in India, not a single case was reported among humans.

An associate professor of pulmonology at AP Chest Hospital and a a member of the Rapid Response Team appointed by the Centre to contain the disease, Dr Sudhakar said the contagious disease was first identified in Italy in 1878 and was called fowl plague.

There were 16 types of the flu and the most contagious strains in birds were H5 and H7.However, H5N1 was causing huge concern as the strain could prove fatal to humans.

As of February 13, 2006 the World Health Organisation (WHO) had confirmed 228 cases of H5N1 in humans in Indonesia, Vietnam,Thailand, Cambodia, China, Turkey and Iraq, leading to 130 deaths, he said.

Recent studies in Vietnam had disproved the earlier theory that the disease affected only the lungs. The Bird Flu affected the entire body and poultry, veterinary and health care workers were more vulnerable.

Refuting any connection with Chikungunya, he said they were caused by different viruses and prescribed stringent sanitary measures and appropriate bio-security practices to keep the lethal disease at bay UNI BR JJ YA VC1755

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