Andhra records first human death due to bird flu: 2-year-old girl dies after eating raw chicken

Bird flu

A two-year-old girl succumbed to the Avian Influenza (H5N1) virus after reportedly consuming raw chicken meat given by her parents in Balaiah Nagar, Palnadu district, Andhra Pradesh

The toddler’s death marks the first human casualty due to the bird flu virus in the state.

The child was admitted to AIIMS Mangala Giri on March 4 by her parents after developing symptoms of acute fever and breathing difficulties. Despite medical intervention, she passed away on March 16 while undergoing treatment.

The girl’s father works as a loan recovery agent at a private bank, while her mother is a homemaker. According to reports, on February 28, the parents fed the child a piece of raw chicken meat while they consumed cooked chicken. She subsequently fell ill, and as her condition worsened, they took her to a local hospital before transferring her to AIIMS Mangala Giri on March 4.

Doctors at AIIMS collected her nasal swab samples on March 7 and tested them at the hospital’s VRDL lab, confirming Influenza A. The samples were later sent to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) lab in Delhi, where tests confirmed the presence of the H5N1 virus. The National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune also verified the results. Despite treatment, the child succumbed to the infection.

This first recorded human death due to bird flu comes shortly after the Animal Husbandry Department declared Andhra Pradesh free of the virus, citing zero mortality in commercial poultry farms across the state.

“Following the child’s death due to bird flu, the department conducted physical surveillance at all poultry farms and backyard poultry in Guntur, Palnadu, and parts of Prakasam district, adjoining Narasaraopet town. No traces of bird flu were found in poultry,” Animal Husbandry Director Dr T Damodar Naidu told TOI.

As a precautionary measure, the department will conduct physical surveillance across all districts on Wednesday.

Dr Naidu emphasised that the child’s death was linked to consuming raw chicken meat, whereas her parents, who ate cooked meat, remained unaffected. “We always advise people to consume chicken and eggs only after thorough cooking, as the bird flu virus cannot survive at temperatures above 60 to 70 degrees Celsius,” he said.