Avoid panic response

Bird flu should not be treated like Coronavirus

Unlike Covid-19, which struck as a totally unknown scourge, bird flu, caused by a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus, H5N1, and its variants, is neither new nor unfamiliar. It has been erupting frequently in different parts of India ever since its first devastating epidemic in 2006. The strategies to contain and control it within the epicentres of the outbreaks have already been evolved and duly validated over the years. Yet, surprisingly, this year’s bird flu infestation in about 10 states is sought to be dealt with differently, employing to it the controversial protocols devised to combat Covid-19, with a debatable