Avian Influenza, a bird flu is a virus that affects birds, cows, and other animals. Sometimes, it can also infect people. The H5 types of influenza A are the most common in humans. It can lead to mild to serious breathing problems and pink eye. Those who work with chickens, ducks, and dairy cows have the highest risk of getting it.

A recent bird flu called Avian Influenza outbreak near Hyderabad has shocked the local poultry industry. Thousands of chickens have died due to the virus. While the situation has left farm owners in distress, another concern the experts are warning about: the flu can transmit in humans.

Types of Influenza Viruses:

Influenza A viruses are divided into sub types based on the proteins on their surface. When animal influenza viruses infect animals, they are named after the animal, like avian (bird) influenza, swine (pig) influenza, equine (horse) influenza, and canine (dog) influenza. These animal viruses are different from human viruses and do not spread easily among people. Wild aquatic birds are the main source for most types of influenza A viruses. Outbreaks of avian influenza in birds can have serious effects on farming.

Experts have determined four types of influenza viruses: A, B, C, and D. Types A and B cause seasonal flu outbreaks in people, but only type A can lead to global pandemics. Influenza A viruses are found in many animals. If a type A virus can infect people and spread easily from person to person, it could cause a pandemics is what experts warn.

How Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) Virus Transmitted to the Human Body?

Human infections with bird flu and other animal-related flu viruses are rare but have happened occasionally. Getting close to infected animals can increase the risk of infection in people. Currently, these animal flu viruses do not spread easily from one person to another.

Signs and Symptoms in Humans:

Being exposed to bird flu viruses can cause infections and illnesses in people. These can be mild, like flu symptoms or eye irritation, but can also be serious, leading to severe breathing problems or even death. How serious the illness is can depend on the virus and the person's health. Sometimes, stomach and brain symptoms have been seen, but this is rare. The chances of dying from A(H5) and A(H7N9) bird flu infections are higher than from regular seasonal flu.

Signs and symptoms could include:

Eye redness (conjunctivitis)

moderate flu-like upper respiratory symptoms.

Pneumonia requires hospitalization.

Symptoms of a fever (100ºF [37.8ºC] or higher) include coughing, sore throat, runny nose, muscular or body aches, headaches, exhaustion, and difficulty breathing.

Diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and seizures are among the less common signs and symptoms.

Fever might not always be present.

Diagnosis:

In critically ill patients, collecting and testing specimens from the lower respiratory tract may also help diagnose bird flu virus infections. However, for some patients who are no longer severely ill or who have fully recovered, detecting the bird flu virus in a specimen can be challenging.

Bird flu virus infections in humans cannot be diagnosed based solely on clinical signs and symptoms; laboratory testing is essential. Typically, bird flu virus infections are diagnosed by collecting a swab from the upper respiratory tract (nose or throat) of the affected individual. Testing is most accurate when the swab is taken within the first few days of illness.

Treatment and Prevention:

If a person is suspected of having zoonotic influenza, notify health authorities and provide clinical case management, including testing, triage, disease severity assessment, risk factor evaluation, isolation, and treatment. Proper management of influenza patients is essential to prevent severe illness and death.

Flu viruses cannot be completely eliminated, and infections from animals will keep happening. To reduce health risks, it's important to monitor both animals and people closely, investigate every human infection thoroughly, and plan for pandemics based on risks. Health authorities for both people and animals should cooperate and share information when looking into human cases of animal flu.

People should limit contact with animals in areas where animal flu is present, like farms or places where live animals are sold or killed, and avoid touching surfaces that might have animal waste. Children, older adults, pregnant women, and people with weak immune systems should not collect eggs or help with killing or preparing food.

Everyone should stay away from sick or dead animals, including wild birds, and report any dead animals to local wildlife or veterinary services.

It's important for everyone to wash their hands often, using soap and water (especially if hands are dirty) or alcohol hand rubs, especially before and after being around animals.

Good food safety practices should be followed: keep raw meat separate from cooked food, wash hands, cook food well, and handle and store meat properly.

Travelers to countries with bird flu outbreaks should avoid poultry farms, live bird markets, and areas where birds are killed, and stay away from surfaces that might have animal waste. If travelers return from these areas and have respiratory symptoms, they should inform local health services.

Avian Influenza Cases In India:

A 2-year-old girl from Narasaraopet in Andhra Pradesh has died from the H5N1 bird flu virus. Health officials reported that she likely got the virus after eating raw chicken on February 2025.

The World Health Organization reported on June 11, 2024 that a four-year-old child in West Bengal, India, was infected with the H9N2 bird flu virus. The child was admitted to the pediatric ICU in February due to severe respiratory problems, high fever, and abdominal cramps, and was discharged three months later after receiving treatment.

In July 2021, the first fatal case of H5N1 was reported. An 11-year-old boy from Gurugram, Haryana, who was also being treated for acute myeloid leukemia at AIIMS in New Delhi, died as a result of the viral infection.

Other Cases:

A child has been confirmed as the first human case of the H5N1 virus in Australia. Reports say the child came back from India in March 2024 and likely caught the flu virus there. This is the first human case of H5N1 bird flu in Australia.

As of March 26, 2025, 70 human cases of avian influenza A (H5N1) have been reported in the U. S. since 2024. Most cases are linked to infected dairy cows and poultry in various states. One case in Missouri had no known animal exposure, and there was one death related to exposure to other animals.

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