The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a concerning update on Tuesday, revealing that a four-year-old child in West Bengal has tested positive for bird flu caused by the H9N2 virus, marking the first known case of its kind in India.
According to the WHO, the young patient was admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (ICU) of a local hospital in February after experiencing persistent severe respiratory issues, high fever, and abdominal cramps. After three months of diagnosis and treatment, the child was discharged from the hospital.
The agency reported that the patient had been exposed to poultry both at home and in the surrounding environment. Notably, there were no reports of respiratory illness symptoms among the child’s family members or other contacts.
Details regarding the vaccination status and specific antiviral treatments administered to the patient were not available at the time of reporting, as noted by the WHO.
This incident marks the second documented human infection of H9N2 bird flu in India, with the first case recorded in 2019. While the H9N2 virus typically results in mild illness in humans, the WHO emphasized the potential for further sporadic cases, highlighting the virus’s prevalence in poultry populations across various regions.
The detection of H9N2 bird flu in a human in West Bengal raises significant concerns regarding public health and the potential for broader transmission. Health authorities are likely to intensify surveillance and monitoring efforts to prevent the spread of the virus and protect vulnerable populations.
