People are overcautious and avoiding chicken, but consumption of properly cleaned and cooked chicken is safe.
Published Feb 16, 2025 | 7:00 AM ⚊ Updated Feb 16, 2025 | 8:30 AM
Synopsis: Culling birds causes economic loss; not studying the virus and neglecting its spread could create conditions for loss on several fronts. Probability of human infection is low, but impact needs more analysis, since it could be fatal, says senior virologist.
Cases of bird flu have been reported in recent months from Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Poultry deaths were caused, but bird flu could spread to cattle and humans, warns Dr Jacob John, renowned virologist and professor who retired from Christian Medical College (CMC) Vellore.
In this interview with South First, he speaks about the urgent need for proactive measures and genetic surveillance.
A: Bird flu, or H5N1 influenza virus, is indeed a concern. The global recommendation for controlling outbreaks is to stamp out or cull all birds within a one-kilometre radius of an infected poultry farm.
This shows how highly infectious the virus is within farms and poultry populations.
If not controlled immediately, it could result in significant economic losses.
Right now, we are concerned about the economic loss of poultry, but if a pandemic emerges, we will be facing economic losses in five different ways, just like during Covid-19.
If we ignore these early signs, we will be caught unprepared, and the consequences will be devastating.
However, when it comes to consuming chicken, if the meat is properly cleaned and cooked, it is completely safe. The problem is not consumption but the handling of infected live poultry. (Cooking at high temperature usually kills the virus)
The fear among the public is understandable, but knowledge is the only way to dispel it.
A: While the probability of human infection is low, the impact can be severe — even fatal. That’s why those handling infected birds wear protective apparel, not ‘spacesuits,’ as some may call them.
The virus can travel through air within poultry farms, so those working closely with infected birds need full protection
Rarely, H5N1 can infect humans and cause severe disease and even death. This makes it different from human influenza viruses and is the reason we must take bird flu seriously.
A: Yes, in 2025, we are facing a new challenge. Bird flu is no longer restricted to poultry. We have seen zoo animals, big cats, domestic cats, swine, and even dairy animals in the US getting infected.
This means the virus is already crossing species barriers. It is giving us clues —like a game of treasure hunt — on how it may evolve. If we ignore these clues, we risk facing another pandemic
Pandemics strike unexpectedly when we are unprepared. If we don’t monitor and study this virus carefully, we may be caught off guard, just as we were with Covid-19.
A: Every bird flu outbreak must be monitored closely. The virus isolates must be genetically analysed to determine if they are purely bird-adapted strains or if mutated strains — such as those from North America or Mongolia — have made their way into India. This is critical.
During Covid-19, we conducted genetic analyses of variants regularly. We should be doing the same now, but I’m not sure if we have learned our lesson. If we neglect genetic surveillance, we risk being hit by a pandemic we are unprepared for
States should not only restrict poultry movement and cull infected birds but also prioritise genomic surveillance of the virus to detect any dangerous mutations early.
A: These restrictions are overcautious but necessary. If the infection is contained within a particular region, then halting the spread through movement restrictions makes sense.
However, if properly sourced and cooked, chicken from unaffected poultry farms is completely safe to eat
Public fear is a different issue. People often do not trust what officials say, so they take extreme precautions by avoiding chicken altogether.
Once an area is declared bird flu-free, things will return to normal.
A: Right now, we are only worried about economic losses in the poultry industry. But if this virus mutates and spreads to humans in a pandemic, the economic impact will be catastrophic — just like Covid-19.
The losses will not just be limited to poultry but will affect healthcare, trade, travel, and multiple sectors
Ignoring early signs is a costly mistake. If a pandemic strikes, it will be when we least expect it, when we are unprepared, and when we have no defenses in place. The government cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of the past.
