Bird flu in Kerala is of H5N1 strain

Thiruvananthapuram: The strain of avian influenza that caused deaths of thousands of duck in the three districts of Kerala has been identified as H5N1, which could also spread to human beings though the infection caused by it can be cured, officials said on Thursday.

The state government stepped up precautionary and containment measures in the affected areas to check the spread of the virus.

Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has convened a high-level meeting on Friday to review the situation in the affected districts and the measures being taken to check its spread to human beings. With the affected areas of the three districts densely populated, the authorities are not taking any chances.

State health minister V.S. Sivakumar, however, said that while maximum alert had been sounded, there was no need for panic.

According to World Health Organisation (WHO) data for the period 2003-2014, there is not even a single confirmed case of H5N1. However, statistics show that 650 cases, including 386 dea-ths, had been reported in as many as 17 countries during this period with Indonesia topping the fatalities at 163 followed by Egypt 63. Pakistan reported one death between 2003 and 2009.