Patna: After bird flu cases, caused by H5N1 virus, were confirmed in poultry and other birds found dead on the premises of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Patna, on Feb 27, Patna civil surgeon Avinash Kumar Singh said on Sunday that they would also conduct human sampling on Monday of the people engaged on the poultry farms. The Bhopal laboratory, where the samples of the dead fowls were sent for testing, confirmed bird flu a couple of days back. Following this, the authorities ordered culling of poultry at two farms in the adjoining areas of ICAR as a precautionary measure on Saturday. Singh said that they were watchful of the situation. “To check the spread of H5N1 infection among humans, if any, we will also conduct human sampling on Monday of people who were engaged in collecting samples or culling of the poultry. And if anyone is found infected, we will have to take serious steps, as infection among humans should be avoided in order to prevent the spread,” he said, adding things, however, appeared to be under control as of now. There is no need to get panicky, he said. “Only those who handle the poultry, touch them and cleanse their excreta are at risk, and hence we are focusing on those groups, including the staff. We will take around 30 samples on Monday for testing,” said the heath official. Talking about the measures already taken, he said culling took place in the adjoining areas of ICAR. “We are conducting a survey in a radius of 3km of the ICAR premises, and if need be, the coverage can be extended up to 10km. Till now (Sunday afternoon) we haven’t received any more positive avian flu cases or news of poultry deaths of the level demanding an extension of the survey area. We have sent more bird samples for testing. If positive cases are confirmed or more deaths are reported, then high alert and advisory for public will be issued,” said Singh. To check its spread among humans, however, the authorities have distributed anti-viral tablets ‘Oseltamivir’ commonly known as ‘Tamiflu’ among the staff engaged in the survey work in the area and those in the poultry business in nearby localities. “We have arranged 500 tablets that will be used as per need,” he said. Humans infected with H5N1 virus experience symptoms of influenza-like illness, comprising fever, cough, runny nose and body ache, he added.
