Info Nuggets

May Day

May Day, also known as Labour Day, is observed on May 1. It corresponds to the International Workers’ Day that is celebrated in many countries around the world proclaiming the international labour movement.

The history of May/Labour Day goes back to 1886 in Chicago, USA, when a gathering of people during a general strike for the eight-hour workday became violent. A bomb was thrown into the crowd, police began to shoot and dozens of people were killed or injured.

Over the next few years, an international movement began with demonstrations and riots occurring each year on May Day. In 1904, the International Socialist Conference met in Amsterdam and called on “all Social Democratic Party organisations and trade unions of all countries to demonstrate energetically on May First for the legal establishment of the eight-hour day, for the class demands of the proletariat, and for universal peace.”

In India, the first Labour Day, or May Day, was celebrated in 1923 in Chennai.

May 1 is also celebrated as Maharashtra Day and Gujarat Day to mark the date in 1960, when the two western states attained statehood after the erstwhile Bombay State was divided on linguistic lines.

Avian flu

Avian influenza (AI), commonly called bird flu, is an infectious viral disease of birds often causing no apparent signs of illness.

Spread: AI viruses can sometimes spread to domestic poultry and cause large-scale outbreaks of serious disease. Some of these AI viruses have also been reported to cross the species barrier and cause disease or subclinical infections in humans and other mammals.

Effects on Humans:

• Most avian influenza viruses do not infect humans; however some, such as A(H5N1) and A(H7N9), have caused serious infections in people.
• The majority of human cases of A(H5N1) and A(H7N9) infection have been associated with direct or indirect contact with infected live or dead poultry. There is no evidence that the disease can be spread to people through properly cooked food.
• Controlling the disease in animals is the first step in decreasing risks to humans.

Initial symptoms include high fever, usually with a temperature higher than 38°C, and other influenza-like symptoms (cough or sore throat). Diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, chest pain, and bleeding from the nose and gums have also been reported as early symptoms in some patients.

Treatment:

• Evidence suggests that some antiviral drugs, notably oseltamivir, can reduce the duration of viral replication and improve prospects of survival.
• In cases of severe infection with the A(H5N1) or A(H7N9) virus, clinicians may consider increasing the recommended daily dose or/and the duration of treatment.

History:

The A (H5N1) virus subtype, a highly pathogenic AI virus, first infected humans in 1997 during a poultry outbreak in Hong Kong SAR, China. Since its widespread re-emergence in 2003 and 2004, this avian virus has spread from Asia to Europe and Africa and has become entrenched in poultry in some countries, resulting in millions of poultry infections, several hundred human cases, and many human deaths. Outbreaks in poultry have seriously impacted livelihoods, the economy and international trade in affected countries. India had declared itself free from H5N1 Avian Influenza (bird flu) as there had been no occurrence of the disease for three months.

Usually, what measures are taken by the Government?

• The entire infected poultry population and its eggs, feed, litter and other infected material will be stamped out within a radius of one km.
• Restrictions on the movement of poultry will be imposed and the affected area will be cleaned up and disinfected.
• Regular surveillance will be maintained, especially in vulnerable areas bordering infected countries and in areas visited by migratory birds.