After the UT Administration issued bird flu alert in Chandigarh, the Haryana Government on Thursday issued advisory to the general public.
An official spokesman said there is no need to panic as no case of bird flu (H5N1 virus) has been reported among the humans in Haryana. However, Haryana Health Department is constantly in touch with the GoI and is taking steps according to the guidelines issued by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare as a precautionary measure, said the spokesperson.
The transmission of bird flu does not travel from person to person easily. Migrating water fowl, most probably wild ducks, are the natural carriers of bird flu. It is suspected that infection could spread from wild fowl to domestic poultry, he added.
It is very rare that transmission occurs from birds to human but most susceptible persons are those who come in close contact with birds or bird droppings, cleaning or plucking infected birds, swimming or bathing in water contaminated with dropping of infected birds and also those who handle fighting cocks.
About the symptoms, the spokesperson said that bird flu causes symptoms such as fever (over 100.4 degree F) and cough, acute respiratory distress, shortness of breath or difficulty in breathing, abdominal pain, headache, muscle aches, diarrhoea, malaise and runny nose.
As a precautionary measure, the Civil Surgeon, Panchkula has been directed to have surveillance of the area of Panchkula done which is within 3 kms of Sukhna lake, where avian influenza H5N1 is confirmed in one of the 24 domestic ducks that died here.
Any patient with bird flu symptoms would be isolated and investigated for suspected bird flu. Isolation facility has been made available in the General Hospital (GH), Panchkula for quarantine of suspected bird flu cases.
Civil Surgeon, Panchkula and Medical Superintendent, General Hospital Panchkula have been directed to make available tablet Tami Flu for the management of bird flu. Information, education and communication activities are being done for creating awareness among the public regarding prevention and control of bird flu virus, added the spokesman.