Since the first week of January, deaths of birds due to the outbreak of Avian Influenza have been reported from the country. The bird flu outbreak has been reported from 10 states across the country, including Maharashtra and New Delhi. Mid-Day spoke to Dr. NK Ganguly, former director-general of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), to understand how different this bird flu is from its predecessors and whether the prevailing fear psychosis around consuming poultry is justified. Excerpts from the interview:

Firstly, India should track the migratory routes of these birds and get in touch with the countries from where such birds are coming. We have had past experiences of bird flu, it is likely that the same migratory routes are being followed. Secondly, it should survey wild birds, free-ranging birds, poultry farms and duck farms. Authorities should also do human surveillance on the antibodies. This H5N8 strain of virus doesn’t spread easily among humans.