H5N1 bird flu Outbreak in Patna & Maharashtra

According to World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), India reported an outbreak of hugely contagious H5N1 bird flu virus on a poultry research farm in state of Bihar. In similar incident, state administration of Maharashtra also verified on February 17, 2022, that poultry birds at a small farm in Thane have succumbed to H5N1.

What’s H5N1 bird flu?

Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 is a subtype of “ influenza A virus ’’. It can cause illness in humans and multiple other animal species. A bird- adapted strain of H5N1 is the largely pathogenic causative agent of H5N1 flu, generally called as avian influenza (or bird flu). It’s enzootic in multiple bird populations, particularly in Southeast Asia. One strain of HPAI A (H5N1) is spreading across the globe, after first appearing in Asia. It’s epizootic and panzootic, that kills millions of birds.

Highlights

• The virus killed 787 out of birds on the farm in Patna.
• All the remaining birds were slaughtered.
• Outbreak started on January 18, 2022 and was reported on February 16.

Vaccines for H5N1
Various H5N1 vaccines have been developed and approved. These vaccines are stockpiled by a number of countries, including United States, France, Britain, Canada, and Australia, for an exigency use.