Culling, surveillance but no vaccine strategy to fight 'bird flu'

Experts said as India falls on the one of main pathways that migratory birds take to move between continents, its water bodies are always prone to the spread of influenza from birds

As avian influenza, commonly known as ‘bird flu’, continues to grow in its geographical spread and impact on species, a high-powered joint meeting of senior government functionaries has decided that surveillance with culling and no vaccination will continue to be the first line of defence against the menace for now.

Mass vaccination of birds with the currently available vaccines was not found to be a suitable strategy given the fragmented characteristics of India’s poultry sector dominated by backyard poultry, a senior official who participated in the discussions said.

In the long run, it was decided that the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) would work towards developing a vaccine for humans to protect against avian influenza, while the Bhopal-based National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) would work on developing an effective domestic vaccine for birds against the flu.

The meeting also decided to develop standard operating procedures for environmental surveillance of avian influenza using low-cost methods at sites like wet markets, water bodies, wastewater, slaughterhouses, and poultry farms.

Such surveillance was practised regularly during COVID-19 and is also done for poliovirus in water bodies.

Experts said as India falls on one of the main pathways that migratory birds take to move between continents, its water bodies are always prone to the spread of influenza from birds.

“Effective surveillance of birds, animals, and even humans was found to be the most effective tool to curb avian influenza,” the official who participated in the meeting said.

The high-powered meeting was attended by the Secretary of the Ministry of Animal Husbandry, Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and senior scientists from ICMR-NIV Pune, CSIR-Centre for Cell and Molecular Biology (CCMB), the National Centre for Disease Control, ICAR-NIHSAD Bhopal, ICAR-NIVEDI Bangalore, and representatives from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Department of Biotechnology among others.

The meeting assumes significance as global cases of avian influenza are spreading thick and fast and moving on to humans in some countries like the US.

Experts say that avian influenza or bird flu is not just confined to birds nowadays; it has started infecting animals such as cats and cows.

In India, ‘bird flu’ usually starts hitting around October and November and gets over by April-March.

In a given year, on average around 20 cases of bird flu are reported from across India.

However, in the last few years, bird flu cases have been reported even outside the main winter months from places such as Kerala, which has alarmed officials.

The poultry sector in India plays a crucial role in food security by providing a reliable source of high-quality protein.

The sector, which has grown steadily at a rate of 7-10 per cent over the past decade, also boosts trade and exports, contributing to the country's economic growth.

However, recurrent highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreaks hinder its potential and impact exports.