Kerala Confirms Bird Flu is Deadly and Highly Contagious Strain

Mangalore Today News Network

Kottayam, Nov 27, 2014: Kerala has confirmed that the outbreak of bird flu in the state is of the feared H5N1 strain, which is highly contagious and can be fatal to humans.

 

Government officials said that massive culling of birds is being done to prevent the spread of the disease.

The virus itself killed about 15,000 infected ducks in Kottayam and another 500 in nearby Alappuzha, the first cases of the disease in the country since February this year.

The H5N1 strain caused the deaths of nearly 400 people and hundreds of millions of poultry after it spread from Asia into Europe and Africa in 2005-2006.

More than 200,000 birds have been culled in the state in the last few days in and around the villages where the outbreaks were found; an intensive surveillance campaign had been launched in a 10-km radius around the area to ensure that the virus does not spread further, the union Health Ministry has said. 

 

Courtesy: NDTV