Q: The Bird Flu?

Question

Q: Where would the bird flu be more likely to spread faster? In a rural area in the country where there are people and more birds or in a city where there are more people and less birds? 10 points to the best answer.

Answer 1

This is a bit of a tricky question. The bird flu virus is evolving and will continue to change through genetic mutations. Right now, the virus appears in two varieties. One that can spread from bird-to-bird and another that spreads from birds-to-humans. The virus has still not evolved to spread from humans-to-humans.The last transformation can be catastrophic, if it isn't (somehow) contained.

If it can spread from human-to-human, the virus will be more lethal in urban settings.
However, if it can only spread from birds-to-humans, it will spread faster in rural settings, where humans are in closer contact with birds.

Of course, this is assuming that there aren't as many poultry farms in cities (which might not necessarily be true for all countries).

Answer 2

I would say that bird flu will spread faster in the rural area because the origin of a bird flu is from birds and where there are more birds, there are more chances of infrecting other birds.

Answer 3

Until the bird flu crosses species and transmits human to human, it will spread faster in rural areas.


If that change happens, it will spread faster in more populated areas.

Answer 4

10 points to the best answer? NO SH*T! Anyway, a disease such as this would first be felt in an urban environment as it would HAVE to be introduced by travelers. This is not a domestic disease. Although migratory birds do account for contamination's, they usually end up dying in the wild anyway. If this disease was really an 'epidemic' as the hyped up media wants it to appear as, it will be transported by someone who has been to a country that does not practice such tight medical practices as ours. Now, this disease is not as pandemic as we are told. It is just a disease that has no chance of becoming a U.S, much less a world, concern. The news make it to be that way. Consider the S.A.R.S drama a year or two ago. Although that illness did cause several deaths, it did not become an epidemic.

Answer 5

In an urban area. More birds that contact humans are in urban areas, such as pigeons. If people were to get bird flu, that's where it would happen; a city.

Answer 6

it depends whether you are talking about the virus as it is now or after it mutates and is able to spread from human to human. right now, it would spread more easily in the agricultural settings where birds are kept in close quarters. when it mutates, it will spread from human to human and spread faster in highly populated areas.

Answer 7

in rural area......