Chennai: Health officials in five TN districts have been alerted by the public health department after the spread of avian influenza resulted in the death of more than 10,000 poultry in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh over the last 10 days.
On Saturday, the director of public health Dr T S Selva Vinayagam issued guidelines for preventing the spread of avian influenza in Tiruvallur, Ranipet, Vellore, Tirupattur, and Krishnagiri districts.
Avian influenza is a viral disease primarily affecting poultry with the potential to cause human infections, he said. Infected poultry and wild birds can transmit the virus to susceptible poultry and human beings through contaminated poultry products, secretions, excretions, or carcasses. The infected birds or people will develop flu-like illness characterized by fever, headache, myalgia, cough, and shortness of birth.
The director has asked officials to survey check posts, train doctors and health staff, and work in coordination with the animal husbandry department. “Surveillance of flu-like illness in all government and private hospitals should be emphasized particularly among those who travelled to affected areas,” he said.
Those with direct exposure to sick or dead birds that were infected, healthcare workers in direct contact with the patient without PPE, and laboratory personnel who might have had unprotected exposure be considered as persons with “moderate risk”. Those sharing a household or those caring for a patient and those unprotected in close contact with a patient at less than a 1-meter distance must be considered high risk. Those at both moderate and high risk have been advised to take 75mg of oseltamivir daily for 7-10 days.
