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H5N1 In Migratory Birds in India?
Recombinomics Commentary
February 6, 2006
the death of the migratory birds in Okhla Bird Sancutary has raised concern about the plight of these winged visitors to India every year
Birds of eight species comprising 40 shovellers, two common teals, a lesser black backed gull, a brown headed gull, a little egret, a medium cormorant and a little cormorant and coot were recovered from the area.
"The post-mortem findings revealed presence of rigor mortis, blotches of haemorrhagic spots on the heart and kidneys and congestion in the lungs.
The above comments suggest wild birds in India have been fatality infected with H5N1. Although India has never acknowledged a single case of bird flu in birds or people, H5N1 infections are highly suspect. H5 antibodies have been detected in poultry workers and the bar headed geese that died of H5N1 at Qinghai Lake in May, 2005 winter in the northern planes of India. The species listed above are among those that died from H5N1 at Qinghai Lake, and birds from that area would be expected to again winter in northern India, including the Okhla Bird sanctuary.
The clinical description above also matches H5N1 symptoms and suggests that H5N1 infection is present, regardless of lab test, which have never detected H5N1 in India.
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