Sunday, February 19, 2006
India testing dozens of people for avian influenza
Authorities from India said on Sunday they were testing dozens of people for the avian influenza virus and that earlier fears of the country’s first human victim were unfounded, after ‘preliminary’ tests on a dead farmer showed he was not affected.
“Preliminary investigations by the rapid response teams at Navapur indicate that this patient had no exposure to poultry,� a federal health ministry statement said.
Reporters were told earlier by the top administrator of Surat district in India’s western Gujarat state that a poultry farmer had died of suspected avian influenza.
“A poultry farm owner died on Friday in Surat district. Local tests have confirmed bird flu but we have sent samples to the national laboratory. We are waiting on a final report,� said Vatsala Vasudev, the top administrator of Surat. “There are, however, no reports of any human cases of avian influenza,� a government statement said.
The statement said as of Saturday, there were six cases of “upper respiratory tract infection with mild fever who have a history of poultry deaths in their backyard farms� from Navapur. It added that “none of these cases have any pneumonia.�