H5N1 BIRD FLU OUTBREAK REPORTED IN PATNA & MAHARASHTRA.

Why in news?

• According to World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), India reported an outbreak of highly contagious H5N1 bird flu virus on a poultry research farm in state of Bihar and at a small farm in Thane, Maharshtra.

About H5N1

• Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 is a subtype of “influenza A virus’’. It can cause illness in humans and many other animal species.
• A bird-adapted strain of H5N1 is the highly pathogenic causative agent of H5N1 flu, commonly called as avian influenza (or bird flu).
• It is enzootic in many bird populations, particularly in Southeast Asia.
• One strain of HPAI A(H5N1) is spreading across the globe, after first appearing in Asia. It is epizootic and panzootic, that kills millions of birds.
  • An epizootic is defined as an outbreak of disease in which there is an unusually large number of cases, whereas an enzootic refers to a low level of disease that is constantly present in a population.
  • A panzootic is an epizootic that spreads across a large region, or even worldwide.