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Bird Flu

Questions and answers related to H5N1 Bird Flu (Avian Flu). It is an extremely virulent influenza virus that can infect birds, occasionally pigs, rarely infections in other animals, and very rarely humans. Fortunately, it does not spread very easily, and only extremely rare human to human transmissions have been known to occur. No instance of the virus spreading beyond a first generation of close human contacts has been reported. It does, however, have a very high mortality rate in animals and in humans (60% death rate in humans).

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Where did avian flu come from?

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Asked by Wiki User

Here is how I think we can do this (and what I hope I am doing):We can support ETHICAL ADOPTION by rernintug it to a SOCIAL SERVICE for CHILDREN in need of a loving home because they are either TRUE orphans (meaning they have NO LIVING OR FIT relatives) or they have had the misfortune of being permanently removed from abuse and/or neglectful situations after due process. We can support people who plan to adopt by helping them become honestly educated about adoption and its issues and encouraging ONLY ethical adoption practices. I feel that unethical adoptions deserve no support whatsoever. We can support people (children) who are in need of adoption (ie: true orphans and foster children who's parents' rights have been terminated by the court due to abuse and/or neglect and have no fit family available to care for them in many ways such as:*By encouraging adoption from foster care. Especially for teens and special needs children.*Educating the public about adoption/foster care/family issues and ethics in an honest and thorough manner in order to give these children the best possible scenario from which to find a loving family as well as an understanding community in which to live.*By volunteering time with these children via reputable programs such as GAL/CASA, Big Brothers, Big Sisters, etc. or by becoming involved with your local schools, tutoring, mentoring, etc.*By donating items or gift cards for the children to your local DSS foster care program to distribute. (Many of these children have few possessions including clothing and school supplies.)*By supporting their human right to retain access to their original birth certificates, medical records and personal history, foster care records and identity. *By calling for adoption reform to return it to the actual social service it was intended to be: Finding suitable homes for children who are truly in need.*And finally, by helping reduce the numbers of those who NEED adoption by, again: Educating yourself and others about family issues, including adoption, and by supporting the families in your community through friendship and encouragement.

What causes avian influenza?

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Asked by Wiki User

Definition

Avian influenza is flu infection in birds. The virus that causes the bird infectin can change (mutate) to infect humans. Such mutation could start a deadly worldwide epidemic.

Alternative Names

Bird flu; H5N1

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

The first avian influenza virus to infect humans occurred in Hong Kong in 1997. The epidemic was linked to chickens and classified as avian influenza A (H5N1).

Human cases of avian influenza A (H5N1) have since been reported in Asia, Africa, Europe, Indonesia, Vietnman, the Pacific, and the near East. Hundreds of people have become sick with this virus. Slightly more than 60% of those who became ill have died.

The more the avian flu virus spreads, the greater the chances of a worldwide outbreak in humans. There is a tremendous concern that H5N1 poses an enormous pandemic threat.

The following people have a higher risk for developing the bird flu:

  • Farmers and others who work with poultry
  • Travelers visiting affected countries
  • Those who touch an infected bird
  • Those who eat raw or undercooked poultry meat, eggs, or blood from infected birds

Health care workers and household contacts of patients with avian influenza may also be at an increased risk of the bird flu.

The avian flu virus (H5N1) has been shown to survive in the environment for long periods of time. Infection may be spread simply by touching contaminated surfaces. Birds who were infected with this flu can continue to release the virus in their feces and saliva for as long as 10 days.

Symptoms

Symptoms of avian flu infection in humans depend on the strain of virus.

Infection with the H5N1 virus in humans causes typical flu-like symptoms, which might include:

Signs and tests

If you think you have been exposed to avian influenza, call your health care provider before your visit. This will give the staff a chance to take proper precautions that will protect them and other patients during your office visit.

Tests to identify the avian flu exist but are not widely available. A test for diagnosing strains of bird flu in people suspected of having the virus gives preliminary results within 4 hours. Older tests took 2 to 3 days.

Your doctor might also perform the following tests:

Other tests may be done to look at the functions of your heart, kidneys, and liver.

Treatment

Different types of avian flu virus may cause different symptoms. Therefore, treatment may vary.

In general, treatment with the antiviral medication oseltamivir (Tamiflu) or zanamivir (Relenza) may make the disease less severe if you start taking the medicine within 48 hours after your symptoms start.

Oseltamivir may also be prescribed for persons who live in the same house as those diagnosed with avian flu.

The virus that causes human avian flu appears to be resistant to the antiviral medicines amantadine and rimantadine. Therefore these medications should not be used if an H5N1 outbreak occurs.

People with severe infection may need to be placed on a breathing machine. Experts recommend that persons diagnosed with avian flu be put in isolation.

Doctors recommend that people get an influenza (flu) shot to reduce the chance of an avian flu virus mixing with a human flu virus, which would create a new virus that may easily spread.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a vaccine to protect humans from the avian flu. Experts say the vaccine could be used if the current H5N1 virus starts spreading between people.

Expectations (prognosis)

The outlook depends on the severity of infection and the type of avian influenza virus that caused it. Death is possible.

ComplicationsCalling your health care provider

Call your health care provider if you develop flu-like symptoms within 10 days of handling infected birds or traveling to an area with a known avian flu outbreak.

Prevention

At this time, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has no recommendations against travel to the countries affected by H5N1 .

However, travelers should avoid visits to live-bird markets in areas with an avian flu outbreak. People who work with birds who might be infected should use protective clothing and special breathing masks. Avoiding undercooked or uncooked meat reduces the risk of exposure to avian flu and other foodborne diseases.

Current information regarding avian flu is available at www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/outbreaks/current.htm.

References

Treanor JJ. Influenza viruses, including avian influence and swine influenza. In: Mandell GL, Bennett JE, Dolin R, eds. Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone; 2009:chap 165.

US Food and Drug Administration. FDA Approves First U.S. Vaccine for Humans Against the Avian Influenza Virus H5N1. Rockville, MD: National Press Office; April 17, 2007. Release P07-68

Levin S. Zoonoses. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 349.

Hayden FG. Influenza. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 387.

Ferri FF. Avian influenza. In: Ferri FF, ed. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2010. 1st ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier; 2009:section 1.

Reviewed By

Review Date: 02/01/2011

Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington, School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

How is the avian flu transmitted?

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Asked by Wiki User

birds get bird flu by getting diseases from ship countries such as china.

birds get bird flu from transported birds, so your birds catch the disease

What are the symptoms of parrot fever in birds?

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Asked by GaleEncyofMedicine

You want to look at the obvious first. Clear eyes, feathering in order, check the feet for scaling. Do they still have the amount of 'dust' on their feathers. A healthy cockatoo, cockatiel, and the greys have a powdery dust on their feathers. That's one of the first things I would look for. Has the talking and everyday mannerisms changed at all? Also watch for them to tuck their head under their wings while they sleep or at different times of the day. They really don't do that as a natural habit. Has their feeding habits changed?

If the birds every day habits have changed and you sense a difference in your bird, I would take it immediately to a vet that is knowledgeable in exotic birds because birds, like a lot of animals will hide their illness because they would be prey to others in their natural habitats. It is costly, but it is worth it for an African Grey.

What is avian diversity?

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Asked by Wiki User

What is the future outlook of bird flu?

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Asked by Wiki User

It is expected that bird flu will continue to be a part of human experience in the near and distant future. Aggressive measures to keep it from spreading are expected to be successful in containing it.

When and how do bird flu happen?

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Asked by Kej123

Bird Flu didn't happen... it's been here all the time...

How can bird flu be cured?

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Asked by Coolman39

The mild symptoms are treated like other types of influenza with over-the-counter drugs. Mild symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath. More severe cases involve severe pneumonia requiring hospital care.

Preliminary studies indicate that it is susceptible to the neuraminidase inhibitor anti-viral medications (Oseltamivir, aka Tamiflu, and Zanamivir,
aka Relenza). But the investigation is still in the very early stages in early April 2013.

There is no vaccine to prevent the viral infection but the Chinese Government, World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are all working to isolate a candidate virus strain to use to grow and develop a vaccine if one is needed.

When did the last strain of bird flu break out?

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Asked by Wiki User

There was a lot of worry about swine flu in 1976. In fact, the government made a vaccine and had people get vaccinated. However, there were a lot of bad side effects from the vaccine. And fortunately the swine flu never reached epidemic proportions.

What is the name of Hong Kong flu?

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Asked by Wiki User

It was a strain of H3N2 influenza that caused an epidemic in 1968-1969 and began in Hong Kong (hence the name). It is commonly confused with Bird Flu (aka Avian Influenza-H5N1) because of similar symptoms of conjunctivitis and the ability to spread via birds.

Although the strain called Hong Kong flu has not been seen recently, there are other strains of H3N2 that do still circulate today. One is known as Fujian Flu and others are called "Perth-like" influenza. The 2011-2012 seasonal flu vaccine for the US and Northern Hemisphere contains one of the H3N2 Perth-like strains.

What viruses causes bird flu?

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Asked by Wiki User

A Type A influenza virus causes Avian "bird" Flu. The specific virus strains of bird flu that infect humans are called Avian influenza, A-H5N1 virus and Avian influenza, A-H7N9 (newly identified in humans near Easter Sunday 2013 in China). Viruses can change or mutate over time. The strain of avian bird flu that caused the scare in Europe was H5N1. There are many different types (subtypes) of this virus, but the one that has been in the news the most is H5N1 because it infects not only birds but can also infect humans, killing them in 50 to 60% of the cases. It is not easily transmitted from person to person, so it has not spread in humans like other types of influenza have so far.

Additional information:

Although they can be considered organisms, they are not living organisms, for that reason not all scientists classify a virus as a "microbe". Most of them do for lack of a better way to talk about them instead of "germ" or other less specific nomenclature. As stated above, unlike the other organisms called microbes, they are not living organisms. They are specialized groups of "cells" that perform functions working in an organized way, but they latch on to and break into a living host's cells and use the life, energy, and nutrients from the host in an almost parasitic way. The genetic material that they have stored inside themselves combines with that of the host's cells to cause the host cells to stop reproducing more cells like itself for the host. Instead, the virus instructs them to start making duplicate viruses like the one that invaded the host.

H5N1 is an extremely virulent influenza virus that can infect birds, occasionally pigs, rarely infections in other animals, and very rarely humans. Fortunately, it does not spread very easily, and only extremely rare human to human transmissions have been known to occur. No instance of the virus spreading beyond a first generation of close human contacts has been reported. It does, however, have a very high mortality rate in animals and in humans (60% death rate in humans).

Is the bird flu deadly?

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Asked by Wiki User

Yes, people can catch it from contact with the excrement or saliva of infected birds. It can be passed from human to human but only very rarely and only when they are living in very close physical contact, e.g., living in the same home.

What is the difference between Flu A and Flu B?

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Asked by Wiki User

They are caused by two different kinds of viruses. There are three types of influenza viruses that have been classified according to the types of proteins they have. There are Type A, Type B, and Type C influenza viruses. Type A and B each have many different strains. Type C does not.

Type A influenza is one of the more common types we see in the seasonal flu among humans and it is also a very common type that many other animals get. It has subtypes and strains that differ, which is why having one subtype will not give you immunity from all the other subtypes and strains.

Type B influenza is also a common type among humans and is found only in humans. It is not divided into subtypes but there are multiple strains.

Type C has been found in humans, pigs, and dogs. The symptoms are usually very mild, milder than those of Type A and B influenza viruses, and it typically doesn't cause epidemics. It is not divided into different subtypes or strains.

What is bird flu and can it be transmitted to humans?

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Asked by Wiki User

People can get bird flu fairly easily from contact with sick birds or their saliva or feces. This is very rare worldwide, however, so far. Additionally, it is almost never passed from human to human, only very rare cases have been reported to have been transmitted that way. It is a property of the individual influenza viruses that determines how easily it is transmitted. H1N1/09, for example, is very contagious and easily transmitted from person to person, while H5N1 is not.

What happed in 1914 flu pandemic?

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Asked by Wiki User

Countries had a more difficult time rebuilding following World War I.

How long does avian influenza last?

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Asked by Wiki User

It is estimated that 50 to 60 % of those who have the Avian Flu do not survive. For some, the illness takes them quickly with overwhelming fluids filling in the lungs, others may need long term intervention and ventilator support, and even induced coma, to just survive.

How does a virus spread from one host to another?

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Asked by Wiki User

First, the virus hijacks the cell and makes it become a virus-making factory. As new virus particles are created in the cell, eventually they fill the cell to the point of bursting open. When this happens, the particles are released where they can then each attach to and hijack a new cell, and the process repeats until your immune system creates the needed antibodies to stop the new viruses from being able to attach to and infect new cells.

Is there such thing as H5N1?

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Asked by Wiki User

What are you talking about? You typed the same exact thing? Yes it's the same, it's Bird Flu aka Avian Flu, and technically called H5N1. Your question is confusing, it takes on the same characteristics as the following mock question. Does CONFUSING mean the same thing as confusing? Hope that helped buddy.

What birds did bird flu affect?

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Asked by Wiki User

All known subtypes of influenza A viruses circulate among wild birds, which are the natural hosts for influenza A viruses. H5N1 a subtype of influenza A viruses affects bird population all over Asia.Infected birds shed viruses in saliva, nasal secretions and feces. H5N1 infection in man may be because of contact with infected poultry.

In Asia with H5N1 outbreaks must avoid poultry farms and any surface contaminated with feces from poultry. All birds can get flu.

How was the spanish flu transmitted to humans?

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Asked by Wiki User

Like the other influenza viruses, it was mostly spread from human to human. They are primarily spread through respiratory droplets from sneezes and coughs, picking the virus up from a surface that someone with the flu had touched and other direct contact with infected people or things they had handled.

Who is the most at risk for the avian flu?

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Asked by Wiki User

The avian flu or the bird flu is common in humans and other mammals. The U.S. now has a vaccine to prevent the disease and treatment is more effective than ever.

What do you do if you have bird flu?

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Asked by Wiki User

Go immediately to a hospital emergency room. However, this is an extremely rare disease so you are very unlikely to have it.

H5N1 is the name of the virus that causes Avian "Bird" Flu. It is very rare among humans and transmission from human to human is still an almost non-existent occurrence and then in very few locations of the world. In some developing countries, where it is common to have free roaming poultry that even are allowed to roost and live inside homes, the disease is occurring in humans, but it is still very rare. There has never been a case of Avian Flu in the US either in animals or in birds, and the UK has been declared free of this virus after a onetime outbreak among birds in the past.

The viral disease is very aggressive and rapidly debilitates anyone who has become infected. They would need immediate medical care. Even with the most prompt and advanced care, however, approximately 60% of humans who have had the disease have died.