Current:Home > MarketsHuman bird flu infection confirmed in India amid concern over avian flu outbreaks in U.S. farm animals -Quantum Capital Pro
Human bird flu infection confirmed in India amid concern over avian flu outbreaks in U.S. farm animals
View
Date:2025-04-15 11:17:07
New Delhi — As a string of recent bird flu cases in U.S. cattle and poultry in several states draws warnings about the risks of possible widespread transmission to humans, India has had its second-ever human avian influenza infection confirmed by the World Health Organization. The U.N. health agency confirmed that a suspected case, a 4-year-old child in the eastern state of West Bengal, was infected with the H9N2 avian flu virus.
India's first human avian flu case was confirmed in 2019. The cases in India involve a different bird flu virus than the one infecting animals and several people in the U.S., where it is the H5N1 strain spreading through herds.
The 4-year-old Indian child was first diagnosed with hyperreactive airway disease, but he developed a fever and abdominal pain in the last week of January this year. A few days later, he developed seizures and his respiratory distress continued. The fever got worse along with the abdominal cramps, and the child was admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit.
The hospital diagnosed him with post-infectious bronchiolitis caused by viral pneumonia, and he later tested positive for influenza B and adenovirus, for which he underwent treatment for about a month before being discharged on February 28, the WHO said.
His condition did not improve at home, however, and he was admitted to a different hospital on March 3. Nasal swabs confirmed an influenza infection, which the WHO has now confirmed as influenza-A sub-type H9N2, the avian flu.
The patient was discharged from the hospital, with ongoing oxygen support, on May 1.
WHO said the child had exposure to poultry at and around his home, and it warned that "further sporadic human cases could occur as this virus is one of the most prevalent avian influenza viruses circulating in poultry in different regions."
The Indian government has formed teams of public health officials to monitor flu symptoms in poultry flocks and increase awareness of the disease's symptoms and prevention methods.
India has witnessed several avian flu outbreaks since 2006, when the first case was detected.
The WHO says humans can be infected with the virus if they come in direct — and in some cases indirect — contact with infected animals. Symptoms of human infection range from mild, flu-like symptoms and eye irritation to severe, acute respiratory disease and even death, the WHO says.
The U.N.'s global health agency has urged people to "minimize contact with animals" where infections are suspected, avoid contact with any surfaces that appear to be contaminated with animal feces, and to "strictly avoid contact with sick or dead animals" and practice hand hygiene.
Children, older people and pregnant and postpartum women need to be extra cautious, the WHO says.
- In:
- India
- Bird Flu
- Pandemic
- World Health Organization
- Avian Flu
- Influenza
- Asia
- Avian Influenza
veryGood! (7)
Related
- Romantasy reigns on spicy BookTok: Recommendations from the internet’s favorite genre
- 2-year-old injured after firing gun he pulled from his mother's purse inside Ohio Walmart
- Sheetz gas prices for Thanksgiving week: $1.99 a gallon deal being offered to travelers
- Zach Wilson benched in favor of Tim Boyle, creating murky future with Jets
- Mets have visions of grandeur, and a dynasty, with Juan Soto as major catalyst
- With patriotic reggaeton and videos, Venezuela’s government fans territorial dispute with Guyana
- At least 17 people hospitalized with salmonella in outbreak linked to cantaloupe recall
- Key Fed official sees possible ‘golden path’ toward lower inflation without a recession
- The Best Stocking Stuffers Under $25
- Utah special election for Congress sees Republican former House staffer face Democratic legislator
Ranking
- As Trump Enters Office, a Ripe Oil and Gas Target Appears: An Alabama National Forest
- Julianna Margulies: My non-Jewish friends, your silence on antisemitism is loud
- Ukrainians who fled their country for Israel find themselves yet again living with war
- Federal appeals court deals blow to Voting Rights Act, ruling that private plaintiffs can’t sue
- US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
- Julianna Margulies: My non-Jewish friends, your silence on antisemitism is loud
- Controversial hip-drop tackles need to be banned by NFL – and quickly
- A Minnesota woman came home to 133 Target packages sent to her by mistake
Recommendation
Person accused of accosting Rep. Nancy Mace at Capitol pleads not guilty to assault charge
NBA power rankings: Sacramento Kings rolling with six straight wins, climbing in West
Get headaches from drinking red wine? New research explores why.
Kansas keeps lead, Gonzaga enters top 10 of USA TODAY Sports men's college basketball poll
New Mexico governor seeks funding to recycle fracking water, expand preschool, treat mental health
No Alex Morgan? USWNT's future on display with December camp roster that let's go of past
Encroaching wildfires prompt North Carolina and Tennessee campgrounds to evacuate
Get headaches from drinking red wine? New research explores why.