Human case of bird flu reported in India

By Ahmad Adil

NEW DELHI (AA) - A case of human infection with bird flu caused by the H9N2 virus was detected in a four-year-old child in an eastern Indian state, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

A four-year-old child in an eastern Indian state has been found to be infected with bird flu caused by H9N2 virus, the WHO said.

The WHO said it received a notification on May 22 from the International Health Regulations (IHR) National Focal Point (NFP) for India regarding a human case of avian influenza A(H9N2) virus infection in the West Bengal state.

“On 1 February, the patient was admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit of a local hospital due to the persistence of severe respiratory distress, recurrent high-grade fever and abdominal cramps … On 2 February, the patient tested positive for influenza B and adenovirus at the Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratory at the local government hospital,” the UN health agency said, adding the patient was discharged from the hospital on Feb. 28.

The WHO said the infected child had recovered and was discharged from the hospital.

This is the second human infection of avian influenza A(H9N2) notified to WHO from India, with the first in 2019.

“Based on available information, further sporadic human cases could occur as this virus is one of the most prevalent avian influenza viruses circulating in poultry in different regions,” the WHO said.

There has been no statement from the Indian Health Ministry yet.

Last week, the WHO confirmed Australia’s first human case of the H5N1 strain of bird flu was contracted by a child who had traveled to Kolkata, a city in India’s West Bengal state.