WHO confirms human case of bird flu in India

This is the second case of human infection of H9N2 bird flu in India, with the first in 2019

The World Health Organisation on June 12, 2024, stated that a case of human infection with bird flu caused by the H9N2 virus was detected in a four-year-old child in West Bengal.

According to the WHO, the patient was admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit (ICU) of a local hospital in February, and was discharged three months later after diagnosis and treatment.

The patient had exposure to poultry at home and in his surroundings, and there was no known person reporting symptoms of respiratory illness among his family and other contacts, the agency said.

Information on the vaccination status and details of antiviral treatment were not available at the time of reporting, the WHO added.

This is the second human infection of H9N2 bird flu from India, with the first in 2019, the agency stated.