is avian flue a real threat to the world? Is it real pandemic or only an exegerated local epidemic?

Question

An avian flue is not a new disease in the world. It is a zooneses that has re-emerge after being present in the world over several decades. But now all the world attention has been turned towards it as something very strange and a lot of money is invested in trying to find the effective vaccine, and probably later a vaccine will be developed and put in the market and all people will be required to be vaccinated as a measure to combart this disease.But what happened before, what is happening now without such a vaccine?

The disease was just an epidemic (to human beings) in certain parts of china and later to some few countries in asia. What about other parts of the world? In europe, africa and america has remain to be disease of birds and are the only one reported dead in these areas. So what do you think?

Answer 1

Avian flu (also "bird flu", "avian influenza", "bird influenza"), means "flu from viruses adapted to birds", but is sometimes mistakenly used to refer to both other flu subsets and the viruses that cause them. (Example: from any flu virus rather than ones adapted to birds, e.g. Dog flu, Horse flu, Human flu, Swine flu), or (also incorrectly) even the virus itself. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

All known avian flu viruses belong to the species of virus called Influenza A virus. All subtypes (but not all strains of all subtypes) of Influenza A virus are adapted to birds, which is why for many purposes avian flu virus is the Influenza A virus (note that the "A" does not stand for "avian").

As of 2006, "avian flu" is being commonly used to refer to infection from a particular subtype of Influenza A virus, H5N1, which is currently the world's major flu pandemic threat.

Avian flu viruses are noninfectious for most species. When they are infectious they are usually asymptomatic, so the carrier does not have any disease from it. Thus while infected with an avian flu virus, the animal doesn't have a "flu". Typically, when illness (called "flu") from an avian flu virus does occur, it is the result of an avian flu virus strain adapted to one species spreading to another species (usually from one bird species to another bird species). So far as we know the most common result of this is an illness so minor as to be not worth noticing (and thus little studied). But with the domestication of chickens and turkeys, we have created species subtypes (domesticated poultry) that can catch an avian flu virus adapted to waterfowl and have it rapidly mutate into a form that kills in days over 90% of an entire flock and spread to other flocks and kill 90% of them and can only be stopped by killing every domestic bird in the area. Until H5N1, this was basically the whole story of avian flu so far as anyone knew or cared (outside of the poultry industry). Now with H5N1, we have a whole new ballgame with H5N1 inventing new rules as it goes with behaviors never noticed before, and possibly never having occurred before. This is evolution right before our eyes. Even the Spanish flu virus did not behave like this. What is worth mentioning about illness from avian flu viruses is covered in H5N1 flu, Flu, and the subtype articles (H5N1, HxNy) linked below (and the references in those articles).

A few examples of correct and incorrect usage of the term "avian flu" itself follow. For more scientific information about avian flu, see the subtype links towards the bottom of this article, H5N1 flu, Flu, Influenzavirus A, and other linked articles.

Contents [hide]
1 Illustrative examples of correct usage
2 Illustrative examples of imprecise usage
3 See also
4 Sources and notes



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Illustrative examples of correct usage
H5N1
Influenza A virus subtype H5N1
Genetic structure
Infection
Global spread
Social impact
Pandemic

WHO pandemic phases

1. Low risk
2. New virus
3. Self limiting
4. Person to person
5. Epidemic exists
6. Pandemic exists


Swans can carry highly pathogenic avian H5N1 and other avian flu virusesIn technical contexts, correct usage of terms is necessary because precise distinctions are the essence of the communication.

"Avian influenza strains are those well adapted to birds" [1]
"An outbreak of influenza A (H5N1), also known as 'avian flu' or 'bird flu,' has been reported in several countries throughout Asia." [8]
"Avian influenza virus usually refers to influenza A viruses found chiefly in birds, but infections can occur in humans."[9]
"Of the few avian influenza viruses that have crossed the species barrier to infect humans, H5N1 has caused the largest number of cases of severe disease and death in humans. Unlike normal seasonal influenza, where infection causes only mild respiratory symptoms in most people, the disease caused by H5N1 follows an unusually aggressive clinical course, with rapid deterioration and high fatality." Seasonal influenza is human flu.[10]
"avian influenza HA bind alpha 2-3 sialic acid receptors while human influenza HA bind alpha 2-6 sialic acid receptors. Swine influenza viruses have the ability to bind both types of sialic acid receptors." [11]
Sometimes a virus contains both avian adapted genes and human adapted genes. Both the H2N2 and H3N2 pandemic strains contained avian flu virus RNA segments. "While the pandemic human influenza viruses of 1957 (H2N2) and 1968 (H3N2) clearly arose through reassortment between human and avian viruses, the influenza virus causing the 'Spanish flu' in 1918 appears to be entirely derived from an avian source (Belshe 2005)." [2]
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Illustrative examples of imprecise usage
In nontechnical contexts, imprecise usage of terms is typical when discussing complex things.

"A 1,000 square mile quarantine zone to combat an outbreak of bird flu was lifted in Scotland today - despite the spread of a similar disease south of the border." Here "bird flu" is used to mean "Asian lineage HPAI A(H5N1) flu" (which is a bird flu) and contrasted with flu from an avian adapted strain of H7N3 (which is also a bird flu). (Click the links for details.) [12]

Answer 2

Human influenza constantly evolves. Occasionally it gets a major infusion of new genes from wild influenza which comes from wild birds, the original home of influenza. In 1918, a bird flu jumped to humans and killed millionsof people including a good part of the U.S. Army. That is what we are afraid is about to happen again.

Right now it is just killing lots of wild birds and chickens and a few people that have close contact with them. Only a few people have gotten sick from other people with the flu. If the bird flu mutates so human to human spread is possible, we will have a pandemic and millions could die. Right now about 50% of the people who get the disease die. The government estimates up to 40% of the U.S. population could get the disease if it becomes a pandemic. Thus all the precautions. If we are lucky it won't evolve.

I would strongly suggest you read up on precautions to take for when a pandemic occurs.

I'd rather be stuck with a lot of vaccine than have the pandemic.

Answer 3

Yeah, the avian influenza could be a threat, but please keep in mind that the media has a way of blowing things all out of proportion.