tell me about prevention,causes,symptoms of bird flu(avian influenza)?

Answer 1

Avian flu is caused when infected birds pass the virus via their droppings. Then domestic poultry becomes infected from the contaminated soil, food, water or inhalation. It then gets passed to humans when poultry or eggs are sold in crowded, unsanitary open-air markets. In the U.S., most people will get it via close contact with the sick birds or contaminated surfaces.

Symptoms include:
fever
sore throat
cough
muscle aches and pains
In other words, the same symptoms as other types of flu! Just be aware that this flu can become life threatening leading to pneumonia and respiratory distress.

Prevention includes:
killing of infected chickens or birds
vaccination of all poultry farms
monitoring of poultry farms to guard against bird smuggling
banning the import of birds/eggs from other countries (the U.S. has already banned those from Asian countries which have a high incidence of avian flu)

If traveling to Asia or countries with bird flu:
wash your hands frequently
avoid contact with domesticated birds
avoid open air markets
don't consume raw eggs
watch your kids
get a flu shot...this lessens the risk of getting flu since it would be hard to know if you were ill from bird flu or regular flu without the shot

Other preventatives:
wash all poultry well before cooking
wash all surfaces and utensils that came in contact with the poultry during preparation
make sure poultry is fully cooked! (internal temp should be 165 degrees)