Bird Flu

The flu virus can be contracted primarily through respiratory droplets when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks. It can also spread by touching surfaces contaminated with the virus and then touching the face, particularly the mouth, nose, or eyes. Close contact with infected individuals increases the likelihood of transmission. Additionally, being in crowded places during flu season heightens the risk of catching the virus.

Bird flu primarily targets the lower respiratory system due to the presence of specific receptors in the cells of the trachea and lungs that are more compatible with the virus. These receptors, known as avian-type sialic acid receptors, are more abundant in the lower respiratory tract, allowing the virus to efficiently enter and infect those cells. In contrast, the upper respiratory system has different receptor types that are less suited for avian influenza viruses, which may explain the virus's limited impact in that area.

Wild birds, particularly waterfowl, can carry the avian influenza virus without showing symptoms because they have developed a level of immunity to it. They serve as natural reservoirs for the virus, allowing it to persist in the environment. In contrast, domestic birds can be more susceptible to severe illness when exposed to the virus, which is why monitoring wild bird populations is crucial for understanding and managing the risk of outbreaks in domestic poultry.

Oh, dude, bird flu in China, like, it's a serious thing, right? The pros are... um, well, maybe it helps control the bird population? But the cons are pretty obvious - people getting sick, potential spread to other countries, you know, the usual pandemic stuff. So, yeah, not exactly a fun topic for a comedy show, but hey, gotta keep it real.

I believe it is lytic. Think: colds are fast acting; they don't sit in your cell for years on end. This means they are lytic (fast acting).

Yes, H5N1 is an influenza virus, which means it has a protein coat called a capsid surrounding its genetic material. The capsid helps protect the virus and enables it to infect host cells.

The virus has DNA as its genetic material. More interesting, the DNA is single-stranded.

"Parvo" is short for "parvovirus" and usually "canine parvovirus type 2."

The H5N1 virus is considered highly pathogenic and has the potential to cause severe illness in humans. It also has a high mortality rate, making it a serious concern for public health organizations and authorities worldwide. The fear is largely due to the virus's ability to rapidly spread and potentially lead to a global pandemic if not contained effectively.

Bird guano contains uric acid, which is the primary biochemical compound found in the waste of birds. Uric acid helps birds excrete nitrogen waste in a concentrated form, allowing them to conserve water.

It is rare among people and is not believed to spread from human to human except in a few isolated cases. Since 2003 to 2013 there have been only 360 confirmed deaths worldwide attributed to bird flu H5N1. A new strain found at Easter time 2013 in Shanghai, China was identified as the causative organism in the death of two men and critical illness of a woman, still under care in Chuzhou, China. So between the two known strains that are infective to humans there have been only 362 deaths. However, approximately 50 to 60 % of humans infected do succumb to the disease.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

It does now.

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.

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.

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.