Bengaluru, April 25 (IANS). The outbreak of bird flu, which was reported at a government poultry training center in Hesaraghatta near Bengaluru, has been successfully controlled after a 10-day intensive surveillance campaign, the Karnataka health department said on Saturday. Till now no case of its infection has been reported in any human being.
According to an official statement from the Department of Health and Family Welfare, the outbreak of the disease was first reported on April 14, and was later confirmed through a lab report from the Bhopal-based ‘National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases’ (NIHSAD). In response, state and district level ‘rapid response teams’, including teams from primary health centers in Hesaraghatta and Sonnehalli, were immediately deployed to contain the spread of the disease.
A radius of 0 to 3 kilometers around the outbreak of the disease was declared as ‘infected area’ and a radius of 3 to 10 kilometers was declared as ‘surveillance zone’. The Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services carried out culling of all birds present in the affected facility, and also ensured safe disposal of eggs and contaminated feed as per prescribed ‘bio-security protocols’.
As part of this campaign to contain the spread of the disease, a total of 28,172 people living in 22 villages falling within a 10-km surveillance zone were monitored continuously for 10 days. As per standard guidelines, several rounds of surveillance and cleanliness drives were conducted.
Health officials said that when ‘nasopharyngeal samples’ (nose and throat samples) taken from the quarantined employees on the fifth day of surveillance were sent for testing to the ‘National Institute of Virology’ (NIV) in Bengaluru, H5N1 virus was not found in them (i.e. the report came negative). Some additional samples taken on the tenth day have also been sent for testing, and their results are awaited. Officials have confirmed that so far, no case of H5N1 infection has been reported in any human being, whether in ‘infected areas’ or ‘monitored areas’.
The Health Department has directed all health centers in Bengaluru to continuously monitor the cases of ‘influenza-like illnesses’ (ILI) and ‘severe acute respiratory infection’ (SARI). Hospitals have also been directed to maintain adequate stock of ‘Personal Protective Equipment’ (PPE), three-layer medical masks, anti-viral drugs like ‘Oseltamivir’, ‘Viral Transport Media’ and ‘Throat Swab Kits’.
Meanwhile, the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services issued ‘sanitary certificate’ for the affected area on April 21. As a precautionary measure, all activities related to chickens at this center will remain completely suspended for the next 90 days. During this period, the center will be disinfected every 15 days by ‘fumigation’ in the interiors and by spraying liquid disinfectant in the open areas. The government has issued a public advisory, urging people to avoid touching or eating meat or eggs of sick or dead poultry. Also, if such birds are seen, they have been asked to immediately inform the local veterinary or health authorities. The government has also advised that poultry products should be cooked thoroughly before consumption, as proper cooking completely kills the virus.
Authorities have appealed to the public to follow official health advice and avoid spreading unverified information or rumours.
Based on a report by the Bhopal-based ‘National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases’ (NIHSAD), officials had on April 14 confirmed the outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza virus at a government poultry training center in Mathkuru village of Hesaraghatta near Bengaluru.
–IANS
SCH
