Bird flu or avian flu is an influenza virus type that normally infects birds. However, it can also infect other animals including pigs. Wild birds are natural hosts to the virus and normally don’t get sick from it. But domestic animals such as chickens and turkeys could be severely affected. Humans, on the other hand, can be infected with influenza types A, B, and C. Genetic changes and sharing can occur under certain circumstances. This could happen in crowded conditions where poultry, pigs, and people live in close quarters. This change could allow a virus to turn into more infectious to humans. This could also mean that the virus can more easily transmitted from person to person. This is precisely when a pandemic could break out.

The term avian flu pandemic has been used widely, but in actuality the avian flu virus and an influenza pandemic are not the same things.An avian flu virus primarily affects birds. Occasionally an avian flu virus may infect humans or pigs. But, in most cases humans are not infected by the avian flu. Pandemic literally means worldwide epidemic. The fear over an avian flu pandemic arises from the concern that the H5N1 avian flu virus currently spreading throughout the continents of Asia, Africa and Europe has the potential to adapt into a strain that is highly contagious among humans. That is to say it could be spread by coughing and sneezing from human to human in the same way that seasonal flu viruses spread.

Scientists expect that the H5N1 avian flu virus will eventually spread among birds worldwide, because migratory birds from Asia do interact with migratory birds from the Americas. But unless the strain mutates, creating a new virus, unlike one that has previously existed in humans, there is little concern about an avian flu pandemic affecting large numbers of humans. The total number of confirmed cases of H5N1 avian flu virus infecting humans is 239. While over half of these people have died from complications arising from the avian flu, pandemic flu viruses are much worse, typically infecting millions and killing millions.
Countries that are the most vulnerable to this flu are Indonesia, Vietnam, and Cambodia, due to their high concentration of bird markets. Other areas include Thailand, China (south and north), Tibet, Kazakhstan, Russia and
Mongolia.

Symptoms:

Symptoms of bird flu in humans have ranged from typical flu-like symptoms (fever, cough, sore throat, muscle aches) to eye infections and pneumonia. If you feel you’ve been exposed, there are a couple of treatment recommendations available today that you may want to discuss with your doctor. Until these are tested in a pandemic, however, their true efficacy is unknown. There are currently no vaccines available, but many companies are working on them.
Genetic changes and sharing can occur under certain circumstances. This could happen in crowded conditions where poultry, pigs, and people live in close quarters. This change could allow a virus to turn into more infectious to humans. The virus can more easily transmitted from person to person.

Raising any kind of poultry may seem simple enough if we only take the housing, temperature, feeding and hatching into consideration. The major issue faced by most poultry owners is disease. Avian flu is one such disease that can hit quite hard and kill the birds at one go, causing loss of expense and effort.

Poultry can be affected by disease in many ways, through the dirty shoes of people who walk in, tires of vehicles, dirty cages and through other animals such as dogs, cats and pigs.

The first preventive measure would be to keep poultry separated from livestock, and since chicken are sensitive, keep them separated from ducks, geese and other birds. Ducks can become affected with avian flu and show no symptoms and carry it on to the chickens. Keep the poultry away from water containing bird droppings.

Keeping the farm isolated by not allowing too many visitors to the farm and ensuring all the vehicles are left outside the farm and if vehicles have to enter, then there should be a facility to get the tires washed at the farm entrance. Workers who need to come in to take care of the birds, should be given separate footwear near the entrance. Any cages or equipment coming from outside should be washed thoroughly.

Dead birds can pose a huge problem to other birds if not discarded immediately in a proper manner. They can be placed in either a plastic bag or a carcass bag and disposed off, either by reporting their death to the concerned authorities, burying them or burning them. Even sick birds should be sent to the veterinary physician immediately.

Ensure a high level of hygiene in the farm. It is a good idea to keep the nose and mouth covered when sneezing and taking even more care when people have cold. Wash all farm equipment including cages, pens and other containers at least once a week. When new poultry is bought, it is necessary to keep them away from the existing flock for a couple of weeks just to ensure they are healthy.

The first thing is to be able to detect avian flu and there are several signs to look for in the birds, beginning with the most obvious, such as loss of appetite, inability to stand and diarrhea. There are other not so obvious signs, such as droopiness, swelling of the head, blood from the nose, less egg production and eggs with soft shells.

If there is an outbreak of avian flu in the neighborhood, it is a good idea to increase all the preventive measures and not to visit other farms as well as not bringing any new birds.

Preventive measures can be taken by ensuring cleanliness and providing utmost care to the birds, if you do not want to see your investment going down the drain.

The World Health Organization (WHO) makes reports and updates regarding new human cases of infection with bird flu. The only subtype that can cause severe illness to people is Influenza A /H5N1 virus, initially it affects chickens, ducks and other birds by the process of mutation they can become highly pathogenic. Because highly pathogenic viruses can survive for long periods in tissue, water and in the environment, especially when temperatures are low is transmitted very easily in chickens and other birds through direct contact with feces and secretions from infected birds, eggs, feed, water, cages equipment, vehicles and clothing. Public health authorities monitor human illnesses associated with avian influenza. In Hong-Kong occured for the first time infection both in humans and poultry and were killed about 1.5 million chickens.

In China and Hong-Kong avian influenza A (H9N2) virus infection affected two children who recovered. The source was unknown, but suspected the poultry.

In Virginia, 2002 an outbreak of H7N2 among poultry was descovered but,with no human victims. Canada, 2004: human infections among poultry workers with H7N3.

Thailand and Vietnam human infections with H5N1. Azerbaijan, Cambodia, China, Djibouti, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Thailand, Turkey, 2006: Human infections with H5N1 occurred as a result of contact with infected poultry and with infected death swangs. Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, 2005 two persons have been infected with H5N1 as result of consuming uncooked duck blood. China two cases of patogenic infections with avian influenza A (H5N1) have been confirmed in a family travelling through China. Netherlands, 2003 were reported outbreaks of influenza A (H7N7) in several farms, after which in pigs and people, 90 people were confrmed with bird flu virus H7N7 in association with cases of eye conjunctivitis, one death occured at a veterinarian with acute respiratory distress syndrome and other complications after having direct contact with infected poultry. In New York, 2003 there has been registered one case a patient with respiratory symptoms which recovered in few weeks and tests confirmed it had been avian influenza A (H7N2) virus. Signs and symptoms of bird flu in humans are similar to other influenza viruses: sore throat and cough, fever, muscle weakness and/or pain, eye infections, with life-threatening complications such as: severe viral pneumonia, respiratory distress syndrome, multi- organ failure.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration suggests the following antiviral agents supposed to prevent and treat avian influenza: amantadine, rimantadine, oseltamivir, and zanamivir. They may be not always effective it has been demonstrated that viruses are resistent to amantadine and rimantadine. In the United States they are not in use any more for the treatment or prevention (prophylaxis) of influenza A. Specialists are monitoring the resistence of avian influenza A viruses to influenza antiviral medications.

For more information about bird flu or even about bird flu vaccine please review this page http://www.bird-flu-info-center.com/bird-flu-vaccine.htm

Avian Influenza first occurred in Italy, but nowdays is spread along the world. It is an infectious disease caused by type A strains of the influenza virus. All birds are supposed to be susceptible to the avian influenza, but particularly domestic poultry.

Recombined with the human influenza viruses form a totally new influenza virus to which people do not have protection that spreads in the population and that causes serious illness and death in humans. Bird Flu is an infectious disease of birds that can also affect people. It can present mild or severe forms of illness.

The only subtype that can cause severe illness to people is Influenza A /H5N1 virus, initially it affects chickens, ducks and other birds by the process of mutation they can become highly pathogenic. If the bird flu virus recombines with a human flu virus and mutate it may become possible the transmission from human to human as happened in Asia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia Thailand, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Eygpt, China, and Iraq where people died.

Bird flu affected Australia in 1997 but, was eradicated. Water birds are supposed to carry the avian influenza type A virus inside their intestines and to distribute it in the environment through bird faeces. In highly contagious forms results in severe epidemics and rapid death. In Hong-Kong it has been declared pandemic.

H5N1is considered to be dangerous because it mutates rapidly and aquires genes from viruses infecting other animal species and human. The more affected were the birds of avian influenza the more dangerous was the infection for human beings, transmited by migratory birds. This could be the start for influenza pandemic.

Symptoms and treatments

Patients usually develop fever, sore throat, cough, severe respiratory distress and viral pneumonia. The people which were affected are of all ages in different states of health. Luckily, there are rapid tests for diagnosing all influenza strains. Antiviral drugs have some limitations, although they are effective in the treatment and prevention of influenza A virus strains. If a new virus subtype occures, it takes some time to produce a new vaccine to be efficient.

The World Health Organization (WHO) makes reports and updates regarding new human cases of infection with bird flu. It is also important to question patients if they had direct or indirect contact with sick chickens or other birds. Not allowing chickens to roam freely, correctly informate the community, advise public not to catch, get near or keep in captivity wild birds are important requirements in order to prevent a catastrophal pandemic.We must wash hands with soap and water before and after handling chicken meat. Cook chicken well, not to let chickens roam freely, do not place chickens, ducks and pigs together in one area.

For more information about bird flu or even about bird flu prevention please review this page http://www.bird-flu-info-center.com/bird-flu-prevention.htm