MAIN Health Diseases & Conditions Bird Flu

Warnings of the Asian bird flu, the newest strain of the flu, first appeared in areas around Hong Kong, Thailand and Vietnam in the late 90's.

The H5N1 virus is a type of avian influenza virus. It is called that because the disease is primarily found in birds. Poultry - chicken, ducks, geese and other birds that are part of our diet - can be infected with the virus.

Scientists believed it was impossible for humans to catch the Avian bird flu, but the flu virus is very good at adapting to infect new hosts. Then a small outbreak in Hong Kong in 1997 announced that the Avian Influenza A virus had made the necessary changes to infect humans.

So far, the disease has been spread from infected poultry to humans and there does not seem to be a big threat of humans passing it on to other humans, but that can change if the virus changes.

There have also been reports of the flu in pigs and other domestic animals. In China, millions of chickens, ducks and other birds already have been slaughtered and burned to prevent the infection from spreading.

Symptoms of the avian influenza virus in humans are typical of any flu. Some people have a fever with a cough, a sore throat and muscle aches associated with a bout of the flu. Eye infections and pneumonia are also common complications. In the most severe cases there may be extremely high fevers, acute respiratory distress - difficulty breathing - and other life threatening complications.

The worst cases reported so far are in people who contracted the flu from birds. Those who may have gotten it from other people seem to have milder symptoms. The current fear is that a combination human and bird flu will arise as a totally new strain and overwhelm government attempts to combat it.

Asian Bird Flu or Avian Influenza is the just the latest mutation. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in the USA, there were three Flu pandemics in the 20th century and all spread worldwide within 1 year of being detected. In 1918-19 the "Spanish flu," caused the highest number of known flu deaths: more than 500,000 people died in the United States, and 20 million to 50 million people may have died worldwide.

The "Asian flu" epidemic in the United States in 1957-58 caused about 70,000 deaths in the United States. First identified in China in late February 1957, the Asian flu spread to the United States by June 1957. Then again in 1968 and 1969 the "Hong Kong flu,", caused approximately 34,000 deaths in the United States.

Vaccines for bird flu are in the testing phase. A traditional flu medication, Tamiflu, also has proven an effective treatment in the past. However, shortages of the medication already have been reported as worldwide demand outstrips supply, and Tamiflu-resistant H5N1 strains have already appeared in Japan and Vietnam.. Scientists are now pointing to Relenza (zanamivir), a powerful antiviral that shows greater promise in injectable form.

Although the number of humans who have been infected are relatively few so far, what concerns scientists now is how virulent this strain has become, and how prepared governments might be to effectively fight a possible worldwide pandemic.

More about Asian bird flu around the Web:

USA - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Avian Influenza - Featuring everything from the most basic questions through the most common symptoms, alerts and information for health professionals. The focus is on US resources, but the up-to-date information on research and treatments is valid across borders. They also provide links to other quality sites for additional information and updates.

Is Asian Bird Flu the Next Pandemic? - National Geographic Magazine article does a good job with background and possible threats of the "Chicken Flu". Links to other stories on related topics offer good, solid information with a focus on getting the facts and not the typical alarmist media hype.

Bird Flu In Depth - From the BBC, with news, background facts and information, interactive features, slide shows and pictures.

also see related feature -> Natural Cold & Flu Fighters

This information is intended as reference and not as medical advice.
All treatment decisions should be made by medical professionals.