India has H5N1 bird flu outbreak :OIE

The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) confirmed an outbreak of the highly contagious H5N1 avian flu virus on a poultry research farm in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar on Wednesday.

The virus killed 787 of the 3,859 birds on the farm in Patna, and the other birds were murdered, according to the Paris-based OIE, which cited an Indian government report.

According to the study, the outbreak began on January 18 and was reported on February 16.

What is avian influenza, and how does it spread?

Avian influenza is a highly infectious virus that infects both domestic and wild birds. Mammalian influenza viruses have been isolated from rats, mice, weasels, ferrets, pigs, cats, tigers, dogs, and horses, as well as from humans.

The spread of avian influenza viruses is not a new occurrence. In the literature, there are numerous accounts of previous epidemics of avian influenza spreading among domestic poultry flocks. AI is found all across the world, with some strains being more dominant than others in different parts of the globe.

Avian influenza (AI) is a highly contagious viral disease that affects food-producing birds such as chickens, turkeys, quails, and guinea fowl, as well as pet birds and wild birds. Avian influenza can infect mammals, including humans, on rare occasions.

There are several AI virus strains, which are usually divided into two groups: low pathogenic (LPAI) strains that cause few or no clinical signs in poultry, and highly pathogenic (HPAI) strains that can cause severe clinical indications and potentially substantial mortality in poultry.