H5N1 - The Bird Flu Pandemic Threat
What is Avian Bird Flu?
Bird Flu is nothing new. There are actually many different kinds
of bird flu caused by any one of the 20 strains of influenza
virus mostly affecting chickens, ducks, turkeys, and other birds.
The type of avian influenza which has scientists worried and
reported recently in the news is called "H5N1". Scientists have
discovered that the H5N1 bird flu virus originated from a farm
in Scotland in 1959. 40 years later, the virus has become highly
pathogenic (highly infectious) among birds and in recent years
has made steady progress in infecting humans.
Bird flu H5N1 is transmitted by contact with the saliva, nasal
secretions and feces of infected birds, making it very easy for
other birds to become infected. One of the concerns with this is
that migratory birds can become infected and thus making it easy
for it to spread all around the world. The first report of
human infection occurred in Hong Kong in 1997. Outbreaks have
occurred among poultry in 8 Asian countries from late 2003 -
2004. More than 100 million birds either died from the disease
or were killed to prevent further spread. In March 2004, it was
believed that the problem was under control. It wasn't. Just a
few months later in June, new deadly outbreaks began to occur
and the outbreaks have been ongoing.
By July 2005, over 100 cases were confirmed in humans resulting
in 60 deaths.
As the H5N1 Bird Flu Virus positions itself within the human
population, it increasingly gains opportunities to mutate into a
highly infectious human-to-human form.
And the process has already started.....
There have been a few cases of human-to-human infection. In one
case, a child had caught the virus from a bird and became ill.
Her mother held her for 5 days until she died. Shortly after,
the mother became ill and died. In another case, two nurses
became infected after caring for sick patients who had been
infected. Human-to-human infections so far appear to only occur
in cases where there is very close contact.
If the H5N1 Bird Flu finally does mutate successfully, it could
be passed from person-to-person as easily as the common cold.
Because these types of diseases don't generally infect humans,
our immune systems are not prepared to fight them. We have no
natural defense.
A pandemic occurs when an influenza virus like H5N1 mutates and
spreads rapidly amongst the world population causing serious
illness or death. It can't be predicted, but with what we've
learned from past pandemics and similar viruses, we can get a
better idea of what to expect.
Famous Pandemics From The Past:
* 1918-19, "Spanish flu," - More than 500,000 people died in the
United States, and up to 50 million people may have died
worldwide.
* 1957-58, "Asian flu," - 70,000 deaths in the United States.
* 1968-69, " Hong Kong flu," - 34,000 deaths in the United
States.
One thing everyone suspects is that we are long overdue for a
pandemic, which is believed to occur every few decades. It has
been more than 30 years since the last one.
The Symptoms...
Unlike some of the more feared diseases such as ebola or
smallpox where the effects are striking, bird flu in humans can
closely resemble any other kind of flu bug you pick up.
Fever, cough, sore throat, aches & pains... it's as simple as
that. In other cases there may be eye infections, pneumonia or
severe respiratory problems. Of course the biggest symptom of
all would be death. But it's also important to remember that in
the US, about 100,000 people each year are hospitalized for your
conventional holiday flu that we have all suffered from at one
point or another, and about 36,000 die every year from it.
Symptoms really depend on which strain of influenza virus you
have. Because of the nature of H5N1 Bird Flu, it's potential to
cause serious illness and death go beyond what our bodies can
handle. The incubation period for bird flu isn't well known, but
symptoms generally begin appearing within 1 to 5 days after
infection.
You must meet all of these conditions in order to entertain the
possibility of having bird flu:
- Temperature of 38 C / 100.4 F - Cough, sore throat, breathing
problems - A history of contact with infected animals and/or
people or if you travelled to an infected area.
In North America, there is a lot of talk about planning &
preparedness, however, that's all it really is - talk. A lot of
countries have been stockpiling vaccines and putting on a brave
face to prevent mass panic and rightfully so, but it's also
known that there is a lot to this story which isn't being
revealed. Some may actually be choosing not to report outbreaks
much in the same way as occurred with SARS.
The truth of the matter is that even with all our advancements
in science, medicine & technology, we are still vulnerable.