Bird Flu - Avian Influenza

Bird flu is a viral disease that affects mostly poultry, but which can also spread to other mammals, including humans. This disease was firstly discovered about 100 years ago in Italy, and from that moment it quickly spread throughout the world. The first contamination bird-man took place in Hong Kong, in 1997, and from then on there were reported a significant number of infections and deaths throughout South-East Asia, Europe and America.

If a person comes in close contact with a diseased poultry, there is a high possibility for him/her to contract the avian influenza virus infection. Domesticated birds, including chickens and ducks, are particularly susceptible to the fatal flu epidemic, and in the absence of prompt control measures backed up by good surveillance, these epidemics can last for years.

The risk of avian influenza transmission is especially high among poultry and pig breeders, since the virus is mostly found in diseased poultry manure. People become infected by breathing the contaminated air or by direct physical contact with the contaminated feces (due to poor hand hygiene). Illness danger increases if the person is already affected by human influenza. Consumption of poultry meat, pork and eggs poses no risk as long as the food is cooked properly (influenza viruses are destroyed at temperatures above 70 degrees Celsius). Ingestion of raw or insufficiently prepared meat can be dangerous though.

The avian influenza virus poses much more severe risks than that of human influenza. The clinical picture is characterized by fever, associated with various other flu’s, cough, dyspnea (shortness of breath), nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Sometimes sore throat, headaches and muscle pain might also occur. These symptoms are determined by the installation of a viral pneumonia in your body (lung fluid loading, which doesn’t allow gas transfer anymore).

Want to know more about bird flu and which are the efficient treatment and prevention methods? If so, see further information below.

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