Archive for January, 2010
Avian Influenza, which you may know by it’s more common moniker, Bird Flu, is a strain of the influenza virus found in birds and poultry. This Bird Flu supplement is a brief rundown of the threat and history of the Bird Flu.
This flu first became a concern when Asian poultry workers became infected in the late nineties, and the virus was found to be highly pathogenic in humans, with a mortality rate of around 65% in those infected.
Since then, the virus has popped up in over 14 countries, with hundreds of people who were exposed to infected poultry and birds dying from the disease.
There has been some coverage in the press saying the threat of infection has been greatly exaggerated, and those of us living in western countries need not concern ourselves due to our stringent hygiene standards for poultry and birds. There is some basis to this, and the fact that the virus is not prevalent over here could be attributed to just those standards.
Being that the virus has only affected those in close contact with infected birds, you might be asking yourself: Why should I be concerned about the Bird Flu?
The reason we should all be taking this threat very seriously, is as follows. The Bird Flu, while so far only infecting those in close contact with infected poultry and birds, is a virus that has been shown to mutate at an incredible rate, with several new strains appearing since the late nineties.
It is resistant to common flu treatments, and to seasonal flu vaccinations. It has an incredibly high mortality rate in humans. All of these factors, especially the speed and ease that the virus mutates, means that should the virus change into form that is highly infectious to humans and facilitates human to human transmission, we will have a global pandemic on our hands.
However, now is not the time to panic. The purpose of these Bird Flu supplement articles is to keep people informed, and having the right information is halfway to winning the battle. With the right tools, knowledge and practices we can be ready to protect ourselves and our families should the virus ever come to our shores, or should we find ourselves in the midst of a global pandemic.
This Bird Flu supplement is designed to inform readers what can be done in the short term if an outbreak of Avian Influenza becomes a concern in this country.
Avian Influenza, or Bird Flu, is a strain of the influenza type A virus found in birds. There is currently a large amount of concern over this disease and it’s most recent strain H5N1, which has been shown to be highly deadly if contracted by humans.
This strain, which was previously thought to be localized to south east Asia, has shown up in over 14 countries, and while most infections are from direct contact with diseased birds, it has recently been shown to jump from human to human in extreme cases. The main concern of health authorities at this stage is if the virus develops the ability to easily transmit itself from human to human (like the common flu viruses we are used to) it could mean a global pandemic with millions of lives at risk.
The best course of action to be taken in the event of an outbreak is to keep informed and healthy as possible during the outbreak, by following common sense and some other simple and practical guidelines.
Our government and many others around the world have stockpiled drugs and treatments and have contingency plans for distribution of these in place. You will have more chance of survival by following these guidelines and waiting for the drugs to be distributed, than you will storming hospitals and doctors surgeries in a panic demanding drugs and treatment. History has shown this will happen, so be informed and don’t be part of the mania.
1. Avoid non-essential travel and large crowds, especially enclosed spaces with little ventilation. There has been some argument over the effectiveness of masks against Bird Flu, but if you absolutely have to be around large groups it couldn’t hurt.
2. Maintain vigilant hygiene, and enforce it on others in your home. Wash hands frequently. Avoid touching your face with hands that haven’t been washed. Clean and disinfect hard surfaces, door handles, kitchens and other high contact areas frequently.
3. Cover nose and mouth when sneezing and coughing.
4. At any sign of illness or infection, take common medicines you should have around the house for treating common influenza. These may include ibuprofen, paracetamol or aspirin. It won’t cure the infected, but could reduce severity of symptoms and buy the infected some more time before proper treatment is distributed.
By following the simple tips and guidelines laid out in this Bird Flu supplement, you should have more chance at avoiding illness and infection, and the means to deal with infection if it should happen to you or your family. Much of it seems like common sense, but in a pandemic situation, there is nothing more uncommon than common sense.
Image Source:dailygalaxy.com
Like humans and other species like birds are susceptible to flu. Avian influenza, or “bird fluâ€, is a contagious disease of animals caused by viruses that normally infect birds. There are many types of bird, or avian, flu. There are nine different types and nine all take different forms – some are highly pathogenic, while some are pretty harmless. The type currently causing concern is the “highly pathogenic” Asian strain of the H5N1 virus. Scientists have discovered four different subtypes of H5N1, and there could well be more but all are deadly to birds, and can cause disease and death -in humans.
However, it is important to stress that H5N1 is overwhelmingly a disease that affects birds – and not humans. It is true that humans have been infected, but almost all have been poultry workers who have come into intimate contact with birds. H5N1 cannot pass easily from human to human. Migratory wild ducks are natural carriers of the viruses, but are unlikely to actually develop an infection. The risk is that they pass it on to domestic birds, which are much more susceptible to the virus. Humans catch the disease through close contact with live infected birds. Birds excrete the virus in their faeces, which dry and become pulverised, and are then inhaled.
Symptoms are similar to other types of flu – fever, malaise, sore throats and coughs. People can also develop conjunctivitis. Researchers are now concerned is that the virus – if given enough opportunities – will change into a form that is highly infectious for humans and spreads easily from person to person. Such a change could mark the start of a global outbreak (a pandemic). This could mean that many illnesses, and even deaths.