Bird Flu confirmed in Gorakhpur: Chicken shops to be shut for 21 days
Samples were taken from birds in Jhungia Bazar, Aluminium Factory area, Taramandal, Bhagat Chauraha, and Shaheed Ashfaqullah Khan Zoological Park. These were sent to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal, which confirmed the presence of the virus.
In response, the Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) has activated district-level rapid response teams. A control room has also been set up at the Sadar Veterinary Hospital under the supervision of Manish Chandra.
Following the confirmation, additional municipal commissioner Nirankar Singh informed that as per Central Government guidelines, culling operations have begun within a 1-km radius of the infected zones. All live birds within this zone will be culled, and thorough disinfection drives are underway.
The CVO has appealed to the public not to believe in rumours and to cooperate with the administration. Meanwhile, poultry samples from various farms sent to IVRI Izzatnagar, Bareilly, tested negative for bird flu.
A total of 1,328 samples from Gorakhpur and 1,470 samples from the Gorakhpur-Basti division were tested during the surveillance exercise.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
Surveillance increased after MCF genome found in dead spotted deer at Katraj Zoo
Pune: The civic body has decided to increase surveillance at the Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park after the genome of malignant catarrhal fever (MCF) was detected in one of 16 dead spotted deer samples. The deaths occurred between July 7 and 12 this year. This case, claimed to be the first in the country involving wildlife, has also alerted other authorities, such as the animal husbandry department. T he MCF genome was confirmed by the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal. They conducted tests on specimens sent by the Western Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (WRDDL), Pune. You Can Also Check: Pune AQI | Weather in Pune | Bank Holidays in Pune | Public Holidays in Pune | Gold Rates Today in Pune | Silver Rates Today in Pune According to the animal husbandry department, assessment of MCF was confirmed by ICAR-National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases. It sent a letter on Aug 5 highlighting the rarity of finding the genome in wildlife. "MCF is a highly fatal disease of wild and domestic ruminants, primarily caused by Ovine Herpesvirus-2 (OvHV-2), with sheep and goats serving as asymptomatic carriers and not yet reported in India," stated the letter. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Villas For Sale in Dubai Might Surprise You Villas in Dubai | Search Ads Get Info Undo "The situation has improved in the last few days. The administration is taking all the due precautions to avoid any spread of virus or infection," said Ashok Ghorpade, head of Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC)'s garden department. Officials of the animal husbandry department said they are keeping a watch on the situation and are ready to help the civic administration in case expert assistance is needed. Advisory has been given to PMC's zoo department after the infection came to light. "We have told all the authorities concerned to implement strict biosecurity and movement control measures in and around the zoo, conduct regular health monitoring of wild animals in the zoo and strengthen early warning systems," said Praveenkumar Deore, commissioner, animal husbandry department. Advice also includes steps to enhance intra-zoo surveillance, especially among deer, bison and antelopes, among others, and submit appropriate Samples to ICAR-NIHSAD. Rajkumar Jadhav, director of the zoo, said, "MCF is not very rare; it is found in livestock and cattle." The experts' report on the death of the spotted deer at the zoo revealed that the animal died because of foot and mouth virus infection. It did not show any prior symptoms of illness, a PMC official claimed. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
Indian Institute of Science study warns of rising human infection risk from evolving bird flu strain
Bengaluru: Three decades after the H5N1 influenza virus was first detected in birds, scientists say a particular branch of the virus is inching closer to becoming a serious human threat. Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in the city have identified specific genetic mutations in the currently circulating 2.3.4.4b clade that may be increasing its potential to infect people. "This clade has infected many mammalian species and is adapting to [non-human] mammals, which is a concern for human adaptation…It is panzootic, causing unprecedented mortality in birds and mammals, along with several sporadic human infections," said Kesavardhana Sannula, assistant professor in IISc's department of biochemistry, who led the study. H5N1's surface proteins — type 5 haemagglutinin (H5) for cell entry and type 1 neuraminidase (N1) for viral spread — are key to its infectivity. When the virus jumps to a new host, mutations in its genome can help it survive, and sometimes thrive, in the new environment. The IISc team set out to examine whether the 2.3.4.4b clade was evolving proteins that could make the leap to humans easier — and which animal hosts might be accelerating that shift, IISc said Tuesday. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru | Gold Rates Today in Bengaluru | Silver Rates Today in Bengaluru Using computational tools, the team analysed nearly 43,000 protein sequences: 7,000 from birds, 820 from non-human mammals, and 35,000 from human influenza strains H1N1 and H3N2. They looked for amino acids under "selection pressure"— rapidly changing regions — and tracked how these mutations were distributed across the viral polymerase complex, nucleoproteins, and haemagglutinin. The mutations were then sorted into two categories: adaptive (helping the virus infect humans) and barrier (hindering cross-species spread). Their model also ranked potential animal hosts by the risk their adapted viruses could pose to humans. Fox-adapted strains, surprisingly, appeared more dangerous than cattle-adapted ones. "This clade is acquiring the same key mutations that pandemic human influenza strains possess, which could be a growing risk," said Ranjana Nataraj, the study's first author. The findings, the researchers argue, make a strong case for proactive, targeted surveillance — especially in mammals that can act as "stepping-stone" hosts for the virus's adaptation to humans. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
The Hindu
7 hours ago
- The Hindu
IISc study highlights how H5N1 influenza poses serious risk to humans
The H5N1 influenza virus, which was first identified in birds three decades ago, has now gradually found its way to humans. Indian Institute of Science (IISc) researchers in a new study have discovered that the currently circulating 2.3.4.4b clade of H5N1 has specific mutations in its genome that increase its human adaptive potential. H5N1 is a strain of the influenza virus harbouring type 5 haemagglutinin (H5) and type 1 neuraminidase (N1) surface proteins, which help in viral entry and spread, respectively. Common ancestor IISc said that clade represents a group of organisms having a common ancestor. 'The 2.3.4.4b clade has infected many mammalian species and is adapting to [non-human] mammals, which is a concern for human adaptation. The clade is panzootic, causing unprecedented mortality in birds and mammals, along with several sporadic human infections,' Kesavardhana Sannula, assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry, IISc. Growing risk According to Ranjana Nataraj, project associate at the Department of Biochemistry and the study's first author, this clade is acquiring the same key mutations that pandemic human influenza strains possess, which could be a growing risk. IISc said that when the influenza virus enters a new organism, it can develop genetic mutations. This helps the virus adapt to the new host. The researchers were trying to decode whether the 2.3.4.4b clade was evolving to produce crucial adaptations in its proteins that allow it to infect humans. They also wanted to decipher which host animals can potentially accelerate this adaptation, giving the virus a leg up in scaling the evolutionary ladder. Mr. Sannula's team took a computational approach and analysed 7,000 protein sequences of 2.3.4.4b H5N1 found in birds, 820 sequences from non-human mammals, and 35,000 human H1N1 and H3N2 sequences, in order to identify which amino acids are under selection pressure – rapidly changing. They used multiple sequence alignment (a tool to identify similar regions in multiple proteins), constructed phylogenetic trees (which represent how species have diverged from their common ancestor over time), and annotated specific variations in all the proteins of H5N1 infecting non-human mammals and humans. Increased mutations The team found an increased number of mutations specifically in the viral polymerase complex (PA, PB2), nucleoproteins, and haemagglutinin (HA) proteins. IISc said that once it identified these mutations, the team classified them depending on whether the mutations can help the virus spread from non-human mammals to humans (adaptive) or simply survive in the non-human host (barrier). 'Finally, they developed a simple mathematical approach and estimated the human adaptive potential for the 2.3.4.4b clade,' IISc said. The team was also able to pinpoint animals that would be likely to harbour virus strains with the highest human adaptive potential. Interestingly, viruses that can adapt to fox hosts seemed to have higher adaptive potential than cattle-adapted strains. Based on their findings, the researchers suggest that enhanced and proactive surveillance measures need to be implemented.
