2-yr-old girl dies due to bird flu

A two-year-old girl from Andhra Pradesh has died after contracting H5N1 bird flu, marking what appears to be the first human infection and fatality from the disease in the country since at least 2021.

- Srinivasa Rao Apparasu and Rhythma Kaul

HYDERABAD/NEW DELHI:

The case comes amid growing international concern about H5N1 and its potential for wider transmission. While human cases remain exceedingly rare, the virus's high mortality rate — approximately 50% in documented cases — has kept the disease on the radar of scientists around the world.

State health officials said the child, who resided in Baliah Nagar in Narasaopet town, Palnadu district, died on March 16 while receiving treatment at AIIMS Mangalagiri. The Pune-based National Institute of Virology (NIV) confirmed on March 24 that she had contracted bird flu, with additional confirmation from the Indian Council of Medical Research in Delhi.

Health officials investigating the case discovered that the child had consumed a small piece of raw chicken on February 26, which they believe was the likely source of infection. Family members reported that the girl occasionally ate raw chicken, a practice that significantly increases transmission risk. "The girl developed fever and other symptoms on February 28 and was initially admitted to a local hospital," a health department official said. "On March 4, she was transferred to AIIMS Mangalagiri after her condition worsened with acute fever, breathing difficulties and diarrhoea."

The child's parents have tested negative for the virus, as have all other family members, indicating the pathogen involved in this case did not jump to or from another human being — a scenario that would have otherwise been worrying. To be sure, there have been no recorded cases of human to human transmission of bird flu.