Bird Flu : Bird flu can become the next pandemic. Humans should be cautious about it. Former CDC director Robert Redfield has warned everyone about it. According to a TOI report, Redfield has expressed apprehension that it can be more dangerous than corona.
The mortality rate due to this can be up to 25-30 percent, which was only 0.6 percent during Covid-19. Recently, two cases of bird flu have been seen in humans. One of these was in Mexico and the other in West Bengal, India. In Mexico, a person was found infected with the new strain, who died, while in West Bengal, a child was found infected with it, who survived.
12 Beware of birds and animals
The bird flu virus was spread only in birds and animals till now, but now its cases are being seen in humans as well, which is a matter of great concern. This virus has been found in cattle in many countries including America. Let us tell you that bird flu was detected in around 1878. By October 2022, it was declared the biggest avian flu epidemic ever in Europe.
In which birds and animals was bird flu found?
1. In May 2021, during the spread of the virus among wild birds, the bird flu virus was found in wild fox cubs at a rehabilitation center in the Netherlands. In July 2021, this virus was found in Great Skuas, a type of seabird in Scotland.
2. In November 2021, the virus was found in poultry and a great black-backed gull in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The virus was found in 4 ducks hunted in North and South Carolina in December of the same year.
3. On February 9, 2022, this virus was reported among turkeys in a poultry farm in America. At that time, the virus was tested positive in sea lions that died in Peru.
4. Cases of deaths of bald eagles were reported in the US from April to September 2022. The bird flu virus was then found in at least 88 mammals, including harbor seals, red foxes, skunks and bottlenose dolphins.
5. In 2022, the bird flu virus was found in more than two dozen mammals, including a black bear and a mountain lion in Alaska. The following year, in 2023, a dog in Canada was found to have the virus after chewing on a wild swan, while elephant seals and fur seals in Antarctica also tested positive for the virus.
6. In March 2024, this virus was found in a flock of chickens in a farm, its infection was detected for the first time in goats. In April 2024, this virus was found for the first time in cows in farms in Kansas and Texas.
What to do and what not to do to avoid bird flu
1. Wash hands frequently. Clean your hands properly with soap after coming in contact with birds or their droppings.
2. Cover your nose and mouth while coughing or sneezing. If you use a tissue, throw it in a closed bin.
3. Avoid contact with wild birds, dead or sick birds.
4. Be careful while rearing poultry. Isolate sick birds and dispose them safely.
5. Avoid going to bird markets or places where birds are crowded.
6. Use poultry and eggs only after cooking them thoroughly. Stop when the temperature reaches at least 71 degrees Celsius.
7. Avoid eating raw or undercooked chicken or eggs.
Check out below Health Tools-
Calculate Your Body Mass Index (BMI)
