ADITYANATH FOR UTMOST VIGILANCE OVER BIRD FLU
LUCKNOW : Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday asked for the utmost vigilance with regard to avian influenza (bird flu) and said suspected bird flu cases should be tested at Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) in Bareilly.
Adityanath issued the directive at review meetings of departments. Medical education minister Suresh Khanna was also present along with officers. The chief minister also issued instructions to officials to expedite paddy procurement under minimum support price (MSP) norms. He said that all permissible facilities should be made available to farmers at the paddy purchase centres. He also asked the authorities concerned to ensure that the farmers faced no trouble when they went to sell their produce.
Referring to the ongoing Varasat Abhiyan ( a government drive launched recently to resolve property succession disputes), the chief minister stressed that in undisputed matters, succession proceedings should be completed within a stipulated time frame.
LUCKNOW: Consuming chicken or eggs does not cause bird flu especially if these items are cooked at temperature above 70 degrees Celsius, said a scientist with Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Bareilly and other experts while seeking to allay fears among the public about the avian influenza.
They also said that not a single case of humans getting infected with the bird flu had been reported in India so far during the current outbreak.
“Bacteria and viruses cannot resist temperature above 70 degrees Celsius. And chicken or eggs are generally cooked at a much higher temperature. That means there is no chance of the survival of the H5N1 virus that is known for transmitting the bird flu,” said Mahesh Chandra, joint director (extension education) and coordinator (communication centre), IVRI.
Chandra also said, “Poultry products are perfectly safe. Don’t believe in rumours.” He said that such rumours caused huge losses to those in the food and poultry business.
Can it infect humans? To this question, the IVRI scientist said “yes”.
“The flu primarily affects birds, but humans who come in direct contact with a sick bird may get infected. However, there is no need to panic as human-to-human spread is not too prominent with the current strain of the virus,” said Chandra.
But, how does the infection spread? Another scientist, who is an expert on the subject, said that the excreta in wild aquatic birds like ducks and geese, which carry the Influenza A viruses, was the primary source of the infection.
“It is from these water birds, which often migrate and travel long distances, that the virus is spread to poultry and terrestrial birds. Mammals such as pigs, horses, cats and dogs can also sometimes catch this infection,” another scientist said.