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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 a individuals are asking just about bird flu.
1. What is Bird Flu?
Avian contagion or 'bird flu' is a extremely
contagious malady of birds, caused by contagion A viruses. In birds, the viruses can present with a range of symptoms from mild health problem and low mortality, to a extremely
contagious malady with a near 100% fatality rate.
The bird flu virus presently
moving poultry and several folk in Asia is the extremely
morbific H5N1 strain of the virus.
As the virus can remain viable in contaminated bm for long periods, it can be spread among birds, and from birds to different animals, through activity or inhalation.
All bird species are thought to be susceptible to craniate
influenza. Unsettled
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 as well 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 nonheritable
the ability to pass easily from person to person or to sustain transmission.
So far, patch 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 Moving 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 derived
to contact with pathologic birds on farms, and in live poultry markets.
As of 13 Oct
2005, 117 reportable 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 Happening of Bird Flu?
The happening now concerning health experts began in poultry in South Korean peninsula in mid-December 2003, and has affected birds in many a 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 Contagion Pandemic?
A pandemic can be broadly speaking delineate as a massive epidemic. It occurs on a more greater scale than an epidemic, spreading about the earth and moving many a hundreds of thousands of folk across many a 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 all new virus strain capable of spreading easily between people, and deed 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 declared
the acquisition 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 accumulated dramatically recently and there may be shortages.
8. Is a Immunizing agent Presently
Accessible for Bird Flu?
The present position is that there is no immunizing agent 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 malady in poultry are advisable
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 craniate
contagion 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 contagion pandemic. The experts are predicting that there wish be a pandemic, tho'
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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