Serious H5N1 - Avian Flu Outbreak in West Bengal, India (Where I Live)
By Angsuman Chakraborty, Gaea News NetworkThursday, January 24, 2008
Avian Flu has affected over half of West Bengal, India. It has even been detected 40 km (kilometers) away from where I live (Kolkata). It appears the state government has responded too little too late to contain the Avian Flu. An estimated 1,00,000+ chickens have died due to H5N1 virus. Human infection too has been suspected. The bottom line is:
1. If you are planning to travel to West Bengal, India, think about postponing / cancelling your trip
2. If you are living in West Bengal:
a. don’t even dream of eating chicken or eggs or even stay close to one
b. don’t panic; we are beyond panicking. Have you considered how good the climate in Haridwar looks these days?
c. don’t travel in West Bengal
Wish us luck 
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March 2, 2009: 11:41 am
Though highly species-specific, avian flu viruses are sometimes “passed” from birds to human through direct contact with infected bird or through contact with surfaces contaminated by feces from infected birds. This jump of virus from birds to human is a rare occurrence. There are but more than 100 human avian flu cases since its first breakout in 1997, and human-to-human transmission has only occurred twice in 11 years. This doesn’t mean you should be lax when it comes to protecting your health. Avian flu viruses are known to mutate, and there’s no way of predicting when they would mutate into a stronger virus strain that can infect humans more easily. |
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