Bengal reports India's second-ever human case of bird flu: cautions to be taken

 The H9N2 virus-caused human case of bird flu in India has been confirmed by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday. The case covered a four-year-old child in West Bengal.
In 2019, there was a report regarding the first-ever human victim of bird flu in India.

The child was examined and treated three months after having been taken to the hospital in February for an asthma attack and high fever, said the WHO.
The patient claimed that she experienced cramping in her abdomen. It is believed that the child's exposure to chickens at home and in the neighborhood caused the sickness. Additionally, according to the global health organization, none of the child's previous contacts had any respiratory problems.

Bird flu: what is it? What causes it?

1. In accordance with the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, avian influenza Type A viruses are the source of bird flu infections. It generally impacts farmed poultry, wild aquatic birds, and other animal and bird species. However, there have been documented occurrences of bird flu infection in humans in the past, so they are not exceptional.
2. People who have had extended, unprotected exposure to infected birds, other animals, particularly livestock, or polluted habitats from those animals and birds are typically the infection's vulnerable target population. 

3. Patients with moderate avian flu symptoms report having respiratory and ocular infections. As to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pneumonia—one of its severe symptoms—can be lethal.

How can one avoid contracting bird flu?

4. Reducing extended contact with infected poultry and birds can lower the chance of contracting bird flu. The health organization also advises against eating any raw or undercooked food, especially poultry products. Unpasteurized (raw) milk and goods prepared from it, including cheeses, are among these products.
5. Reports of bird flu infections involving both animals and birds have been received in a few regions of Kerala, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh.