Experts say flu is 'almost wiped out' as it is at lowest level in 130 years

Experts have said that fewer people are being hit by the flu than at any time in the past 130 years worldwide. The experts believe that the bug seems to have been ‘almost wiped out’ after being plunged by 95 per cent. According to the reports by The Daily Mail, during the second week of January, which is also the worst time for the seasonal virus, the flu-like symptoms were reported to be GPs at 1.1 per 100,000 people. During the last five years, it was an average of 27. 

As per the reports, director of the World Health Organization's collaborating centre for reference and research on influenza, John McCauley said that the last time when there was evidence of such low rates was when they were still just counting influenza deaths. This was before the 1889-90 flu pandemic, in the year 1888. Professor of primary care at the University of Oxford, Simon de Lusignan said that influenza has now been almost completely wiped out. 

Read: South Korea Culls Nearly 19 Million Poultry Animals To Curb Spread Of Bird Flu

Bird flu outbreak in various countries 

In another significant development, the bird flu outbreak has been confirmed in various parts of the world. The outbreak has been confirmed in countries like South Korea, Japan, India, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, northern Germany, and Belgium. In South Korea, the ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said that a total of 18.8 million chickens and other poultry animals have been culled at various farms across South Korea. This comes as a measure to curb the spread of the highly pathogenic H5N8 bird flu. The country reported its first case of bird flu at a duck farm in the North Jeolla province in late November. 

Read: Bird Flu Outbreak: FSSAI Asks People Not To Eat Half-boiled Eggs & Other Do's And Don'ts

According to the reports by ANI, South Korea’s warning level has been raised to ‘serious danger’. Also, poultry within a radius of three kilometres from farms exposed to the virus must be exterminated, as per law. South Korea confirmed its first case on November 28 at a duck farm which is just 290 kilometres south of Seoul. As per the release by the ministry, the government started taking measures to prevent the virus from spreading.

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