Chennai : An outbreak of the H5N1 virus has been confirmed in Chennai after several hundred crows were found dead across the city, signalling the spread of avian influenza in the region. Authorities have directed that all carcasses of crows and poultry be either incinerated or deeply buried in accordance with biosecurity protocols to curb further transmission.
In the wake of these findings, the Union Ministry of Animal Husbandry has written to the Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary, calling for immediate and comprehensive field surveillance to contain the outbreak. The positive case for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), raises significant concerns about the rapid spread of the virus. The situation demands urgent attention to mitigate risks to both animal and human health.
H5N1 is a highly pathogenic strain of the influenza A virus that primarily infects birds, particularly poultry and wild birds. It is commonly known as ‘bird flu’ and can spread rapidly among bird populations, often causing severe illness and high mortality rates. Although H5N1 mainly affects birds, it can occasionally infect humans — though rare — and other animals through close contact with infected birds or contaminated environments.
Infections are rare, but when they do occur, they can be severe. Many confirmed human cases have involved serious respiratory illness such as pneumonia, and the case fatality rate reported in past outbreaks has been significantly higher than that of seasonal flu. The department, nevertheless, asked people experiencing influenza-like symptoms such as fever, cough, cold, sore throat, or body pain to seek medical attention immediately.
GCC veterinary officer J Kamal Hussain said they have instructed sanitation workers to alert them of group-deaths of crows. “We are identifying land for an 8-10feet burial. We have not reported many deaths in the last week,” he said. The outbreak echoes similar H5N1 detections in Kerala and Bihar too. Globally, the World Health Organization reports 261 human infections from 2003-2024, mostly severe.
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