Prevention is
better than cure
With the bird flu outbreak and the subsequent scare
reaching its peak, Nina Da Costa shares some must-know
details about this fatal virus
There goes an age-old saying
'Prevention is better than cure'. In the
past 15 years, Indian poultry industry
has moved from the numbers game to the
'volume gain'. For the industry to flourish, it is
important that it retains its profitability. This
is not dependent on numbers but on the
grading systems, overall quality and large
volumes. The Indian poultry industry stands
third in egg production and fifth in broiler
production in the world. The poultry industry
provides employment to two million people
and contributes 1.1 per cent to the national
income in India. The challenge for the Indian
companies is to ensure that they reach world
standards on all these parameters. However, if
the industry has to grow at a rapid pace, it is
imperative that the poultry farmers start
implementing hygiene standards, which are at
par with the international levels.
Bird flu
Bird flu is an infection caused by avian (bird)
influenza (flu) viruses. These flu viruses occur
naturally among birds. Wild birds worldwide
carry the viruses in their intestines, but
usually do not get sick from them. However,
bird flu is very contagious among birds and
some strains can make domesticated birds,
including chickens, ducks and turkeys, very
sick and kill them.
The current bird flu virus that is causing
concern around the world is a highly
pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) strain
called H5N1 HPAI (also known as the Asian
bird flu virus) that causes severe bird flu.
HPAI is a form of bird flu that can spread
rapidly in flocks, causing high mortality in the
affected birds. It is important to note that
most strains of bird flu are considered low
pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI), and
typically cause little or no clinical illness in
infected birds. The LPAI strains in domestic
poultry pose little health risk to humans.
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