India should be prepared for the invasion of new influenza viruses of avian origin, especially H9N2, according to Robert G. Webster, a world-renowned authority on influenza viruses and emeritus Professor, Division of Virology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, U.S.
He says it is “a rather benign but extremely dangerous virus which can sometimes affect humans” and which is currently very active in poultry markets in Bangladesh and China.
The other potential threat for India was the H7N9 influenza virus, which could be carried across the Himalayas from China by geese, the same way H5N1 came in 2006.
So far, H7N9 outbreaks have been confined to China, where 677 human cases were reported, with about one-third of infected humans dying, he said.
Dr. Webster, who was in the city recently as part of the foundation day celebrations of the Union Department of Biotechnology, was talking about the pandemic potential of influenza viruses. He was hosted by the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology.
H5N1 is now endemic in Bangladesh and shows up occasionally in India, as it did in Kerala last year.
No comments:
Post a Comment