Conditions and Diseases | Cold and Flu | Infectious Diseases | Bird Flu

What is the difference between H5N1 and Bird Flu?

Bird flu is a general term for some strains of influenza (flu) that are

that are found in poultry and other birds. It is more properly called Avian Influenza. There are two strains of this kind of influenza virus are known to infect humans in very rare circumstances. H5N1 is one of the specific strains of bird flu that infects humans. H7N9 is the other and new strain just discovered in humans in Spring 2013.


Flu viruses are a group of RNA viruses categorized to the three main types of influenzaviruses found in humans and other animals. These are classified as Influenza Types A, B, and C. "Bird flu" refers to an illness caused by any of the many different strains of Type A flu viruses that are endemic in birds.

All known bird (or avian) flu viruses are Influenza A viruses. Inf

luenza A viruses have been isolated from many species, including humans, pigs, horses, marine mammals, and a wide range of domestic birds but because wildfowl and shorebirds are thought to form the main influenza virus reservoir in nature, infections resulting from Influenza A viruses are sometimes termed "bird flu."

The Influenza A virus genome consists of negative-stranded RNA, which codes for 11 proteins. These viruses are classified on the basis of two of these proteins which are expressed on the surface of the virion (virus particles); these are the hemagglutinn (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) glycoproteins.

Sixteen different HA and 9 NA subtypes have been isolated from viruses in wild birds and poultry throughout the world. These can be found in numerous protein combinations (for example: H2N2, H16N3, H5N1, H7N9). Mature HA proteins mediate binding of the virus particles to host cells.

Influenza viruses of subtypes H5 and H7 are highly pathogenic and contagious in birds and can cause outbreaks of bird flu in wild fowl and poultry. People have been known to contract H5N1 bird flu by contamination through bird handling and roughly 50% of those have died. It does not usually transmit from human to human. Since 2003 360 people have died worldwide of H5N1 bird flu and tens of millions of birds have died.

H5N1 is but one subtype of "bird flu" which happens to be especially contagious and pathogenic. It is rare in humans.

At Easter time in 2013, another and more rare strain (H7N9) was found to be the organism that caused two deaths in Shanghai, China. These are the first two known human infections and deaths by avian flu viruses other than H5N1. A third victim is critically ill, also in China. None gave the flu to the others and no close contacts of any of the three have been infected. Studies are rapidly getting underway to learn more about the new strain.

Difference between H1N1 and H5n1?

H1N1 is swine flu H5N1 is chicken flu

What if your dog has the bird flu?

Dogs are not susceptible to the H5N1 bird flu.

What is the h5ni?

The H5N1 Virus is the Avian Flu, or otherwise recognized as the bird flu. :)

What is the scientific name for bird flu?

Avian Influenza type A, or H5N1.

Can H5N1 virus infect people?

Yes. It is also known as 'Bird Flu'

Is the Bird Flu the same as Ebola?

NO. The Bird Flu is influenza caused by the H5N1 virus, also known as the Avian Flu. H5N1 virus is an influenza virus (cold virus). And Ebola is a filovirus that has little in common with the aforementioned diseases caused by different viruses.

Which virus is the cause of bird flu?

Influenza A virus H5N1, is known as "bird flu". H5N1, is a subtype of the influenza A virus which can cause illness in humans and animals. A filtered and purified influenza A vaccine for humans is being developed.

Has anyone died from bird flu?

Yes. To date (14-11-08) there have been 245 human deaths due to Bird flu (H5N1)

What virus is caused by bird flu?

It is really the other way around, viruses cause bird flu; the bird flu does not cause other viruses, just the viruses of bird flu. There are various types of bird flu. The two types of avian (bird) flu currently known to infect humans are H5N1 and H7N9.

What organisms does bird flu affect?

In addition to humans and birds, Bird flu (H5N1) has been shown to infect dogs, cats, tigers, minks, civets and tigers.

What is the medical term meaning bird flu?

Avian Influenza, H5N1 or Avian Influenza, H7N9.

Who is infected of bird flu?

It is currently known to be possible for the following to be infected with H5N1, the highly pathogenic form of "Bird Flu" that humans can get: Pigs, birds (both wild and domestic), and humans.

What is the difference between the flu and H5N1?

H5N1 influenza virus is an avian flu, it is often called bird flu and is more specific than "the flu". Usually when people refer to the flu they do not specify (and most often don't know) which strain of the flu it is, they use "flu" (influenza) to refer to viral respiratory infections in a more general way. So, H5N1 is a flu, an influenza virus, but all strains and types of flu are not…

What is the name of the virus that causes influenza?

It is simply known as the flu virus generally, but each individual strand has its own name, like H1N1 is the swine flu, and H5N1 is the bird flu.

What is responsible for avian influenza?

Avian influenza is also known as the "Bird Flu". Influenza is caused by viruses. The virus that causes avian flu is the H5N1 influenza virus.

Is there such thing as H5N1?

yes h5n1 is a real flu it is a little different than h1n1.

What is the code for the avian flu?

The name of the strain of virus that causes the Avian (Bird) flu is H5N1. If you are asking for the ICD-9-CM diagnosis code, the new 2010 code for the Avian flu is 488.0.

Is there a vaccine or cure or treatment for bird flu?

Currently there is no cure for the bird flu (H5N1), but the symptoms are treated. There has been a vaccine developed for the US, but it is stockpiled by the government in case there is a pandemic, so it is not available as a preventive vaccine yet.

How has each person with bird flu contracted the virus?

People catch bird flu by close contact with birds or bird droppings. This is just the flu that infects birds. The bird flu that people often call the bird flu is not the same. That one is passed from person to person. Some people have caught H5N1 from cleaning or plucking infected birds. In China, there have been reports of infection via inhalation of aerosolized materials in live bird markets. And some infections have occurred…

What virus causes influenza?

it is symply known as th eflu virus, but each individual strand has it's own name. Like H1N1 (the swine flu), and H5N1 (the bird flu).

What are some jokes about the flu?

A blonde walks into a doctor's office and says, "Doc, I'm horribly sick!" The doctor looks at her and asks, "Flu?" "No, I drove here." What's the difference between bird flu and swine flu? If you have the bird flu, you need a tweetment.

Avian flu vaccine?

Q-pan is the approved vaccine for Avian Flu or H5N1.

What is the importance of the hygiene and sanitation for broiler chicken?

hygiene and sanitation is very important for broiler chicken as they are very susceptible to diseases. wild bird carry H5N1 virus(bird flu) and broiler are vulnerable to such virus. so during winters and the peroid when migration of birds take place...special care is taken in chicken farms to avoid such dangerous incident of H5N1 flu. H5N1 virus is present in the blood, saliva and other secretions of bird(including excreta). This virus can be spread by…

Could you Name 3 diseases caused by virus?

one disease is H1N1 or swine flu a second disease could be H5N1 or bird flu a third dosease could be Rubella disease ~hope this was helpful

How does h5n1 affect the human body?

It's bird flu. Essentially it's like any stomach flu or influenza. It usually isn't transmitted to human, hence the name bird flu, but if given enough time, it will mutate to accommodate to its human host. Most of the time it's from direct contact with a contaminated live bird, not cooked bird meals. It's just a virus.