What Exactly Is Bird Flu?
Bird Flu, also known as avian influenza, is a virus carried
primarily by birds, as well as certain mammals. There are
actually 144 different strands of the virus, with varying
intensity in symptoms and contagiousness. However, one strand in
particular, H5N1, has caused widespread panic, as it has not
only been transmitted to humans, but caused a mortality rate of
over 50%.
The details of bird flu are very technical and somewhat
difficult to understand to the average person. More in-depth
information is available in ebook 2 of "A Guide to Bird Flu and
How to Avoid Catching It." Influenza, in general, is grouped
into one of three categories: A, B, and C. Avian influenza is
considered type A. Under category A, there are 16 H subtypes and
9 N subtypes. There are basically two variations of the virus
among all the subtypes, a low pathogenic form, which is rather
mild, and a high pathogenic form, which is considerably more
harsh. To date, only H5 and H7 variations of the virus are
highly pathogenic.
What does all of that mean in English? Although there are
numerous strands of the virus, only a couple have ever been
known to seriously harm humans. Although bird flu was first
identified in the early 1900's, the strand to cause the most
concern recently, H5N1, first came to pass in 1997 in Hong Kong.
In the current outbreak, there have been 100 people infected
with the virus in Asia, and over half did not survive.
Bird Flu has symptoms typical of regular flu strands. These
include, fever, sore throat, cough, conjunctivitis, and possibly
pneumonia, in severe cases. However, with H5N1, these symptoms
become severe and often lead to death.
The major concern with H5N1 is the possibility of the virus
starting a pandemic. This may occur when a new virus emerges, it
causes serious illness in humans, and is easily spread among
humans. With bird flu, the first two conditions have already
been met. H5N1 is a new virus to humans, although it has
previously been found in poultry; it also causes serious illness
in humans, as it has led to the death of over half of the 100
people infected by it. However, at this point, the third
criteria has not been met. Bird flu is predominantly passed from
fowl to humans, not human to human. Many people believe it is
just a matter of time before the virus mutates to the point
human transmission is possible. At that point, it will spread
like wildfire throughout the world.