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Flu InformationBird Flu – Answers to 10 Important Questions
by:
Brian McGregor
Most folk cognize that bird flu is beginning to emerge as a serious health threat to the world.
There are real concerns and in this article we give answers to 10 questions which many an individuals are asking just about bird flu.
1. What is Bird Flu?
Avian contagious disease or 'bird flu' is a extremely
contagious sickness of birds, caused by contagious disease A viruses. In birds, the viruses can present with a range of symptoms from mild ill health and low mortality, to a extremely
contagious sickness with a near 100% fatality rate.
The bird flu virus presently
touching
poultry and several folk in Asia is the extremely
unhealthful
H5N1 strain of the virus.
As the virus can remain viable in contaminated dejection for long periods, it can be spread among birds, and from birds to else animals, through bodily function or inhalation.
All bird species are thought to be susceptible to vertebrate influenza. Migrant birds such as wild ducks and geese can carry the viruses, often without any symptoms of illness, and show the greatest resistance to infection.
Domestic poultry flocks are particularly vulnerable to epidemics of a rapid, severe and fatal form of the disease.
2. Can Bird Flu Infect People?
People are seldom
infected with bird flu viruses. Those who have become infected have had close direct contact with infected birds.
The 1st documented cases of bird flu infecting folk occurred in Hong Kong in 1997 and this was likewise the H5N1 strain of virus. Investigation showed that close contact with live infected poultry was the source of the infection.
According to the Earth Health Organization (WHO), there is mounting evidence that the H5N1 strain has a unique capacity to jump the species barrier and cause severe disease, with high mortality, in people.
3. Can Bird Flu Travel From Person to Person?
There is no firm evidence that the H5N1 strain which caused the outbreaks in South East Asia has noninheritable the ability to pass easily from person to person or to sustain transmission.
So far, spell several instances of spread from one person directly to another have been reported, these have been isolated one-off occurrences with no further spread to people, and the way of transmission remains unconfirmed.
4. Have There Been Previous Outbreaks of Bird Flu Touching
People?
The 1st documented cases of bird flu in folk appeared in Hong Kong in 1997, once
18 folk infected with an H5N1 virus strain were admitted to hospital, six of whom died. The source of infection in most cases was copied to contact with pathological birds on farms, and in live poultry markets.
As of 13 Gregorian calendar month 2005, 117 rumored
cases of H5N1 infection in folk have occurred in four countries – Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Indonesia. Sixty of these have been fatal.
5. What is the Source of the Current Irruption of Bird Flu?
The irruption now concerning health experts began in poultry in South Peninsula
in mid-December 2003, and has affected birds in many an countries in Asia, Russia, and most recently Turkey and Rumania. It involves a variant of the same virus subtype as that associated with the 1997 Hong Kong outbreak.
6. What is the Risk of a Human Contagious sickness Pandemic?
A pandemic can be generally
represented
as a massive epidemic. It occurs on a more greater scale than an epidemic, spreading about the earth and touching
many an hundreds of thousands of folk across many an countries.
Experts are concerned that the virus could adapt, giving it greater affinity for humans. Or that it could exchange genes with a human flu virus, thereby producing a altogether new virus strain capable of spreading easily between people, and effort a pandemic. By necessity, if a new strain were to occur then few people, if any, would-be have a natural immunity to it.
7. What Can I Do to Protect Myself and my Family?
There is several evidence that recent H5N1 viruses are susceptible to a class of antiviral drugs called neuraminidase inhibitors.
The UK Government is increasing
its stockpile of antiviral drugs against the contingency of a flu pandemic, whether due to an H5N1 or another new strain. On 1 March 2005, the Health Secretary proclaimed the procural
of 14.6 million treatment courses of the antiviral, Tamiflu - enough to treat a quarter of the UK population.
Individuals can purchase Tamiflu privately. The manufacturer, Roche, is working hard to supply what is required. World-wide demand, however, has augmented dramatically recently and there may be shortages.
8. Is a Immunogen
Presently
Accessible for Bird Flu?
The present position is that there is no immunogen
for bird flu.
There are, however, several potential vaccines at various stages of testing and production. Whether these wish be suitable for use against a new pandemic flu strain depends on how more the pandemic strain may have mutated and changed from the innovational H5N1 virus strain used to create the vaccine.
9. What is the Proposal
for Travellers?
Travellers to areas experiencing outbreaks of the sickness in poultry are suggested to avoid contact with live animal markets and poultry farms.
Travellers should not attempt to bring any live birds or poultry products back to their own country.
10. How Can I Support up-to-date With Bird Flu Matters?
The following organisations have sections on vertebrate contagious disease which provide useful and on a regular basis
updated information:
Health Protection Agency
http://www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/avianinfluenza/menu.htm
DEFRA
http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/disease/avianinfluenza.htm
World Health Organization
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/en/index.html
UN Food and Agriculture Organization
http://www.fao.org/ag/againfo/subjects/en/health/diseases-cards/special_avian.html
Bird flu has the potential to be the basis of an contagious disease pandemic. The experts are predicting that there wish be a pandemic, though it is not possible to say once
it wish occur.
The message is to be alert and be aware of the proposal
being given by your government.
Just just about the author:
Brian McGregor is author of the ebook ‘What You Need to Cognize Just just about Bird Flu’. This publication outlines the bird flu issue in more much detail, and is accessible free from:
http://www.workwinners.com/bird-flu/d-bird-flu.htm
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