WB Bird Flu: Human cases under scrutiny

The deadly bird flu is suspected to have entered human boundary, it is reported that five persons has been kept under observation, but with no specific confirmation from health department the case still hangs in doldrums.

But Health officials in West Bengal have been doing routine checkups of locals to ensure that it has not affected humans.

Meanwhile, the Union Ministry of State for Health has assured all possible assistance to the WB government for tackling bird flu. Culling of birds has been on its way on a large scale in all seven districts where the pandemic is supposed to have spread.

Since the first case of bird flu was reported on January 15, it has almost reached to seven districts and H5N1 has been confirmed by the tests.

Those of five people who are kept under observation have developed symptoms like fever, cough, muscle ache, head ache and throat infection. But it is still to be confirmed whether this is just a seasonal flu or the effect of H5N1 virus.

The health workers have tested hundreds of people having such symptoms but none of them has been confirmed with avian influenza.

The pace culling birds have been a major problem and as per the reports around seven lakhs of chicks and ducks are still to be culled in various places.

Recently the Avian Flu has spread to Malda and districts of North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Nadia, West Midnapur, Birbhum, and Hooghly. Earlier it was confirmed in South Dinajpur, Murshidabad, Burdwan and Bankura.

The neighbouring country Bangladesh has also severely hit by the deadly virus.

Tamiflu to Treat

The Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Anbumani Ramadoss has said that the government has asked a number of pharmaceutical companies to provide ‘Tamiflu’ (oseltamivir phosphate) – one of the two medicine available for treatment of this influenza.

Oseltamivir is used to prevent the spread of virus from cell to cell. Primarily it is effective in case of influenza A and B and doses should be started within 12 to 48 hrs from the first appearance of flu symptoms. However, it is only prescribed for adults and children over 1 year.