| Bird Flu Facts |
|
|
 Everyone seems worried about bird flu. Is there reason for the concern? Why are governments doing about it? What exactly is bird flu? Does bird flu carry a risk to human health ? Here are some facts about bird flu. Avian influenza, or “bird flu”, is a highly contagious disease caused by viruses that normally only infect birds and, sometimes, pigs. Avian influenza viruses have, on rare occasions, crossed the species barrier to infect humans. That is the current concern.
In domestic poultry, infection with avian influenza viruses causes two main forms of disease. The so-called low pathogenic (less dangerous) form commonly causes only mild symptoms (ruffled feathers, a drop in egg production) and may not be noticed. The more dangerous form is much more serious. It spreads very rapidly through poultry flocks, causes disease affecting multiple internal organs, and has a death rate that can approach 100%, often within 48 hours.Which viruses are the cause this serious disease? Influenza A viruses1 have 16 H subtypes and 9 N subtypes2. Only viruses of the H5 and H7 subtypes are known to cause the highly pathogenic form of the disease. However, not all viruses of the H5 and H7 subtypes are that dangerous and not all will cause severe disease in poultry. What is understood as of today is that H5 and H7 viruses are introduced to poultry flocks in their low pathogenic form. The problem is that when allowed to circulate among many bird populations, the viruses can mutate, quickly, into the highly dangerous form. This is why the presence of an H5 or H7 virus in poultry is always cause for concern, even when the initial signs of infection are mild. Because there have been many outbreaks, and deaths in various parts of the world, government health agencies, remain on the alert. |
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
bird flu - Google News
Study Finds Alternative Antiviral for Bird Flu Prevention and Treatment - VetPracticeNews.com
In Brief: New plan to fight bird flu in Egypt - IRINnews.org
What H1N1 taught us - Gulf Times
Experts call for bird flu control strategy - Viet Nam News
After H1N1, Researchers Warn of a Potential New Superbug - TIME
Study Finds Alternative Antiviral for Bird Flu Prevention and Treatment - VetPracticeNews.com
 Environment News Service | Study Finds Alternative Antiviral for Bird Flu Prevention and Treatment VetPracticeNews.com It suggests that the compound CS-8958 is a promising alternative antiviral for prevention and treatment of bird flu. Antiviral drugs are a key ... Bird flu kills Vietnam woman Virus hybridization could cause pandemic bird flu First Vietnam bird flu death in 2010 |
In Brief: New plan to fight bird flu in Egypt - IRINnews.org
In Brief: New plan to fight bird flu in Egypt IRINnews.org ?Bird flu has become endemic in this country? The fear now is that the virus can assume more dangerous forms in the days to come,? he said. ... |
What H1N1 taught us - Gulf Times
 Gulf Times | What H1N1 taught us Gulf Times It lacks the virulence factors that make highly pathogenic bird flu, or the 1918 pandemic flu virus, so deadly. In the beginning, the pandemic seemed to ... |
Experts call for bird flu control strategy - Viet Nam News
Experts call for bird flu control strategy Viet Nam News HA NOI ? The latest outbreak of bird flu has affected the provinces of Dien Bien and Nam Dinh in the north, Nghe An and Khanh Hoa in the central region, ... |
After H1N1, Researchers Warn of a Potential New Superbug - TIME
After H1N1, Researchers Warn of a Potential New Superbug TIME By injecting them in lab mice, researchers found that some of the hybrid viruses were both deadly (like bird flu) and transmissible (like seasonal human ... What May Be the Single Biggest Threat to Your Health? Deadly Hybrid Flu Possible Flu takes its toll on kids |
The deadly bird flu virus has spread halfway across the world from Southeast Asia. FOX News charts a hypothetical pandemic in the US, and reveals ...
hulu.com
