Here are some helpful facts:
1. What is avian (bird) flu?
Avian or bird flu is an infection caused by an influenza virus that occurs naturally in wild birds. The flu strain that worries health officials, H5N1, is spread easily among birds and can sicken and kill wild and domesticated birds such as chickens, ducks, turkeys and migratory birds. Less commonly, the virus can infect pigs and tigers.
The virus does not usually spread to humans but some have become infected after coming into contact with sick birds or surfaces contaminated with the feces and/or secretions of sick birds.
2. What is the H5N1 virus?
H5N1 is one particular strain of the bird flu that is highly contagious among birds. It is a type A influenza virus that is usually only found in birds but can cause death in humans.
3. Where did bird flu originate?
The first recorded case of H5N1 bird flu in humans occurred in Hong Kong in 1997, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. The current outbreak of the H5N1 virus in birds began in South Asia in mid 2003 and is considered the most severe on record, according to the World Health Organization. Eight nations (South Korea, Vietnam, Japan, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, and China) reported outbreaks through February 2004. The virus has since been reported in Malaysia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Turkey, Romania and Croatia, as of October 2005. Investigations continue in other nations.
4. Can humans catch bird flu?
The current bird flu virus, H5N1, can spread from birds to humans. This particular strain of the bird flu virus causes serious problems and even death in humans. Those infected suffer from viral pneumonia and organ failure. More than half of those infected have died.
The main route of infection to humans is through direct contact with infected birds or surfaces. Most of the current cases of human infection were found in rural or semi-rural areas among people who keep flocks of domesticated foul. Most were exposed to the virus during the slaughter, defeathering, butchering or preparing of infected birds for cooking. There is no evidence that properly cooked birds or eggs can spread infection, according to the World Health Organization.
5. How does bird flu spread?
Bird flu is currently spread among birds via saliva, nasal excretions and feces and contaminated surfaces. People who have contracted the H5N1 virus from birds have come into contact with contaminated birds or surfaces.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health/b ... asics.html
Can you tell us a little bit about the current avian influenza?
Avian influenza has existed in nature for a million years as an innocuous intestinal water- borne virus of wild ducks. It doesn’t hurt the ducks and the ducks don’t hurt the virus. Human influenza started just a few thousand years ago particularly with the domestication of poultry—wild ducks in China.
http://www.satyamag.com/feb06/greger.html
Avian Flu
Avian flu, or “bird flu,” is an infection caused by avian influenza (or “bird flu”) viruses. These flu viruses occur naturally among birds. Wild birds worldwide commonly carry the viruses in their intestines or respiratory tracts but usually do not get sick from them. However, bird flu can be contagious among birds and can make some domesticated birds including chickens, ducks, and turkeys – very sick and kill them. The risk to humans of avian flu is generally low to because the viruses occur mainly among birds and do not easily infect humans. However, during an outbreak of avian flu among poultry (including domesticated chicken, ducks, turkeys) there is a possible risk to people who have contact with infected birds or surfaces that have been contaminated with excretions from infected birds that carry the virus.
http://deploymentlink.osd.mil/pdfs/avia ... ossary.pdf
Antibiotics
Antibiotics are medicines designed to kill bacteria and to treat and prevent bacterial diseases and infections. Antibiotics are not used to prevent or treat influenza (which is a virus, not a bacteria) but may be used to treat bacterial infections, such as pneumonia, that may occur as complications of influenza infection.
http://deploymentlink.osd.mil/pdfs/avia ... ossary.pdf
Evolution and the avian flu
November/December 2005 – excerpt:
The current outbreak involves a flu strain called H5N1, which we already know from occasional bird-to-human transmissions can be deadly to humans. H5 and N1 represent forms of viral proteins that our bodies use to recognize and attack the virus. Some flu strains, such as H1N1, are relatively common in humans; many people's immune systems can recognize and attack these strains. This reduces the number of human carriers and thus, the risk that this strain will cause a serious pandemic. Unfortunately, people's immune systems do not yet have any ability to recognize the H5N1 strain, leaving us extremely vulnerable to it. Luckily, H5N1 is not adapted to human hosts and does not have the genes that would allow it to be passed easily person to person. But evolution may change that.
(cutting)
The most worrisome possibility, however, is that an H5N1 virus could acquire genes for human-to-human transmission directly from a human flu strain. Unlike humans, many viruses can easily incorporate ready-made genes from other viruses into their genomes. This is a possibility anytime a host is infected with two different viral strains. A human infected with a typical, non-lethal human flu virus and H5N1 avian flu could serve as a mixing vessel for the two viruses, resulting in a flu strain with the deadly properties and unrecognized proteins of H5N1 but with human transmissibility genes.
http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrar ... 15_birdflu
In brief/recap:
A: Bird flu viruses have been around forever – and will continue to do so, and we have been exposed to most versions already.
B: H5N1 has two versions, a low version (only bird to bird passing) version, and a newer higher version coming out now.
C: A human has to have direct, non-protected contact with a sick H5N1 – A version sick bird WHILE also actively having the human strain flu virus themselves for the H5N1 virus to mutate to humans.
D: At high risk for death are those people who live [directly with their chickens (eat, sleep in the same rooms as their chickens)
E: Antibiotics do NOT kill a flu virus. Or a cold virus, or any type of virus. Antibiotics work on bacterial infections only.
Currently (as of today) 103 people have died from avian flu since 2003.
March 21, 2006
Azerbaijan Reports Five Human Deaths From Bird Flu
The World Health Organization confirmed seven human cases of the H5N1 strain of the bird flu in Azerbaijan. Five of the victims died, bringing the human death toll to 103 out of 184 recorded cases since late 2003.
Source:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health/b ... index.html
8. Is there a treatment for bird flu in people?
Two drugs, commercially known as Tamiflu and Relenza, are known to reduce symptoms and severity of seasonal influenza or flu. If administered early they may work similarly with the H5N1 virus too, but clinical data is limited, according to the World Health Organization.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health/b ... asics.html
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My comments:
As for the US – it’s not a matter of ‘if’ H5N1 it will come to all parts of the world, including the US – it’s when. However, H5N1 does not automatically mean level A H5N1.
Continued good basic health care – washing hands, eating right, careful food preparation and careful food purchases will go a long way in offering protection from having this virus mutate, as well as protection if it should.
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Judih … sorry to hear about the loss of livestock, but glad to hear to you & yours are holding up well.