What is all this talk about the bird flu? I it really that serious?

Question

I feel like its being blown waaaay out of proportion, but i dont know the details on it. what do you think?

Answer 1

Human infection with avian influenza viruses
There are many different subtypes of type A influenza viruses. These subtypes differ because of changes in certain proteins on the surface of the influenza A virus (hemagglutinin [HA] and neuraminidase [NA] proteins). There are 16 known HA subtypes and 9 known NA subtypes of influenza A viruses. Many different combinations of HA and NA proteins are possible. Each combination represents a different subtype. All known subtypes of influenza A viruses can be found in birds.

Usually, “avian influenza virus” refers to influenza A viruses found chiefly in birds, but infections with these viruses can occur in humans. The risk from avian influenza is generally low to most people, because the viruses do not usually infect humans. However, confirmed cases of human infection from several subtypes of avian influenza infection have been reported since 1997. Most cases of avian influenza infection in humans have resulted from contact with infected poultry (e.g., domesticated chicken, ducks, and turkeys) or surfaces contaminated with secretion/excretions from infected birds. The spread of avian influenza viruses from one ill person to another has been reported very rarely, and transmission has not been observed to continue beyond one person.

“Human influenza virus” usually refers to those subtypes that spread widely among humans. There are only three known A subtypes of influenza viruses (H1N1, H1N2, and H3N2) currently circulating among humans. It is likely that some genetic parts of current human influenza A viruses came from birds originally. Influenza A viruses are constantly changing, and they might adapt over time to infect and spread among humans.

During an outbreak of avian influenza among poultry, there is a possible risk to people who have contact with infected birds or surfaces that have been contaminated with secretions or excretions from infected birds.

Symptoms of avian influenza in humans have ranged from typical human influenza-like symptoms (e.g., fever, cough, sore throat, and muscle aches) to eye infections, pneumonia, severe respiratory diseases (such as acute respiratory distress), and other severe and life-threatening complications. The symptoms of avian influenza may depend on which virus caused the infection.

Studies done in laboratories suggest that some of the prescription medicines approved in the United States for human influenza viruses should work in treating avian influenza infection in humans. However, influenza viruses can become resistant to these drugs, so these medications may not always work. Additional studies are needed to demonstrate the effectiveness of these medicines

Answer 2

Avian flu (also "bird flu", "avian influenza", "bird influenza"), means "flu from viruses adapted to birds,
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").
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).

Answer 3

H5N1 is a subtype of the Influenza A virus that is capable of causing illness in many animal species, including humans. A bird-adapted strain of H5N1, called HPAI A (H5N1) for "highly pathogenic avian inffluenza virus of type A of subtype H5N1", is the causative agent of H5N1 flu, commonly known as "avian influenza" or simply "bird flu", and is endemic in many bird populations, especially in Southeast Asia.

This HPAI was found in multiple bird species.

H5N1 caused flu outbreaks in 1959 and in 1991 but these strains were very different from the current highly pathogenic strain of H5N1. Evolution from 1999 to 2002 created the Z genotype which became the dominant strain of highly pathogenic H5N1 in 2004.

H5N1 was first found panzootic (a disease affecting animals of many species including humans) in 1997, in Hong Kong (18 human cases). In 2003, 2 human cases were found in Hong Kong.

<<<<<<<<<< GLOBAL SPREAD >>>>>>>>>>>>>

Countries that have reported one or more major highly pathogenic H5N1 outbreaks in birds (causing at least thousands but in some cases millions of dead birds) are (in order of first outbreak occurrences) :

Korea, Vietnam, Japan, Thailand,
Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, China,
Malaysia, Russia, Kazakhstan
Mongolia, Turkey, Romania, Croatia,
Ukraine, Cyprus, Iraq, Nigeria, Egypt,
India, France, Niger, Bosnia, Azerbaijan,
Albania, Cameroon, Myanmar, Afghanistan
Israel, Pakistan, Jordan, Burkina, Faso,
Germany, Sudan, Ivory Coast, Djibbouti.

Highly pathogenic H5N1 has been found in birds in the wild in numerous other coustries:

Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic,
Denmark, Greece, Hungary, Iran,
Italy, Kuwait, Polandd,
Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia,
Slovenia, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland, United Kingdom

Countries with massive bird die offs that do not confirm H5N1 include:

Ethiopia

Surveillance of H5N1 in humans, poultry, wild birds, cats and other animals remains very weak in many parts of Asia and Africa. Much remains unknown about the exact extent of its spread.

For global spread, please check this web site :

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_s...

Can you see there are how many birds flying everywhere? If some of them got H5N1 (deadly bird flu virus) and they dropped their poop on your head or your car and .. yes, you may call it as bad luck but it would happen!

Answer 4

i am a pakistani n a muslim,n being as a muslim "pig"is not allowed as a food in ur religion,birldflu was in pakistan a few months ago,n scientist made a conclusion that sometimes pakistani import hens from other country which feeds there hens from pi'gs meat!that gave a pro a calistrol,n blocking of blood in veins!yes its dangerous ...

Answer 5

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_flu

Answer 6

Yes, it is. It can kill you.