A 2 year-old girl from Narasaraopet town in Palnadu district in Andhra Pradesh has died due to the H5N1 bird flu virus. Health officials have told the media that the child had eaten chunks of raw chicken on February 26, which is the likely source of infection.
Initially treated at a local hospital, after seeing her condition getting worse, she was transferred to AIIMS, Mangalagiri. Her symptoms worsened with time, on March 4, and as per reports she had acute fever, breathing difficulties and diarrhoea. Apart from the child, other family members including the parents all tested negative, suggesting that the virus is not transferable. Prior research suggests that no other case of human-to-human transmission has been recorded in the case of bird flu.
