What is the difference between the flu and the bird flu?

Answer 1

The two main differences, besides being caused by two different viruses, would be that the H1N1/09 pandemic Swine Flu spreads very easily from human to human and is symptomatically milder than the Avian flu.

H1N1 spreads rapidly from person to person, which led to its being a pandemic in 2009-2010, while the Avian (bird) flu does not spread easily in humans. Bird flu is very rare overall, and spreads mostly from direct bird-to-human exposure. It has had extremely rare cases that spread from human-to-human but only among family members in the same households.

Swine Flu has comparatively mild symptoms in most people, and causes fewer deaths than even the seasonal flu viruses usually do, while the bird flu is especially virulent and deadly with a mortality rate of 50 to 60 % of those infected.

They are both viruses that are relatively new to human infection. The pandemic swine flu (A-H1N1/09) is a new mutation and since there was no direct exposure to the virus before it was found in 2009, there was little resistance to contagion. The Avian "bird" flu (A-H5N1) is also a new virus for humans to get. Avian flu is much more rare among humans than in birds, but it is rarely transmitted to humans, and not by person to person transmission so far.

Swine flu is a mutation that caused a new subtype of influenza A. It contains genetic material from the avian flu virus, several strains of hog viruses, and human flu virus.

Here are the most common symptoms of each:

Avian flu-

~ Virus causes lung inflammation

~ Immune system over-reacts, creates a lot of white blood cells and a natural virus-fighting chemical (Cytokine)

~ Chemical runs in blood stream in such high quantities that it creates tiny holes in the blood vessels

~ Plasma leaks out of the holes and into the lungs

~ Victim drowns from the inside

Swine flu-

~ Virus is very similar to seasonal human flu

~ Starts with a bad cough and headache

~ Fever and fatigue ensue

~ After about a week, symptoms are relieved except for the fever and often the cough

~ After 24 hours of no fever, you are considered no longer contagious

On the humorous side:

As far as the care goes, with Bird flu you need to seek TWEETMENT, and for swine flu you can apply OINKMENT.