Bird Flu
Getting Infected
Bird flu virus spreads in several ways:
Poultry Saliva.
Poultry Nasal secretions.
Poultry Manure.
Infected food, water, equipment and clothing. Wild fowls & cats are suspected to be resistant carriers, which can further on spread the disease. There are some evidences of bird flu infected pigs ("swine flu") which may also pass the disease further on.
Being near sick animals (birds, pigs, cats), eating undercooked meat (birds, pigs), touching contaminated cloths or equipment may result in infection.
Please remember that if infection occurs, incubation period is 3 to 5 to days.
Symptoms
Bird flu in humans has similar symptoms to the common flu:
Fever
Cough
Breathing Difficulty
Sore throat.
Protection Measurements
You may protect yourself from bird flu observing the following steps:
Protection Measurements
You may protect yourself from bird flu observing the following steps:
1. Avoid direct contact with poultry, dead or alive.
2. Avoid places where poultry kept, such as bird markets & poultry farms.
3. Avoid touching surfaces that might be contaminated with poultry feces or secretions.
4. Wash your hands frequently & carefully with water and soap.
5. If water isn't available you can use alcohol-based gels instead.
6. If you are about to eat poultry related food (eggs, blood) be sure to well cook them at first!
No vaccine or medicine is currently available for bird flu treatment.
However prescription medicines approved for human flu viruses may also work in case of bird flu infection.
Bird Flu History
Bird flu was identified in Italy in the beginning of 20th century.
The flu spreads through domestic poultry (ducks, turkeys, chickens), with high levels of infections, and high fatality rates.
The "Spanish flu" bursts in 1918, killing 50 to 100 million people world wide in a period of 2 years. It is now believed that the "Spanish flu" had been caused by the Bird flu virus.
In 1997 the first case nowadays of bird to human infection was recorded in Hong-Kong.
Outbreaks of bird flu among poultry occurred in the following countries: Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam and the United states.
Recent outbreaks have been reported in Romania, Turkey, United Kingdom, Russia, Croatia and Sweden.
Here you may found more important links relating bird flu.
- CDC - The centre disease control section dedicated to the bird flu.
- World health Organization - World health Organization Page dedicated to bird flu reports, recommendations, and surveillance on new out breaks world wide.
- Current Situation (WHO)