Pandemic: When the Bird Flu hits home
What is avian influenza?
Avian influenza, or ?bird flu?, is a contagious disease that typically affects birds,
and in some circumstances, other animals. The bird flu very rarely crosses over to humans,
but when it has the disease causes a high rate of death.
There are many known strains of the bird flu virus, but only a few are highly contagious
and cause severe disease. These pathogenic strains have killed millions of birds throughout
the world. The viruses spread rapidly through poultry flocks, killing nearly 100 percent
of infected birds within 48 hours.
To date, the bird flu virus has not easily spread from human to human.
What is the H5N1 virus?
Most recent news reports discussing the bird flu are concerned with the H5N1 virus,
a particularly virulent strain that has decimated millions of poultry in Asia.
The outbreak of the H5N1 virus first appeared in mid-2003 in the Republic of Korea.
It has since spread to Vietnam, Japan, Thailand, Cambodia, Lao People?s Democratic Republic,
Indonesia, China, Malaysia, Russia, Mongolia, Turkey and Romania.
As of June 2006, the bird flu had not been detected in the United States.
Why should people be concerned?
The H5N1 virus has been shown to infect humans who had high levels of contact with
poultry carrying the disease. Birds pass the virus through their saliva, nasal secretions
and feces, and humans who raised or worked with infected poultry became infected themselves.
In those cases, more than half of the people died of the virus because humans do not have
much immunity to the bird flu.
Of greater concern would be if the H5N1 virus mutated so that it could be easily
spread from human to human. If this happened, the bird flu could become a human
epidemic, spreading rapidly.
Will my yearly flu vaccine protect me from the bird flu?
No, the currently available flu vaccine offers no protection.
Research is underway to develop a vaccine to protect against the bird flu. One is not
expected to be available in the near future, however.
Is there a treatment for bird flu?
The H5N1 virus has been resistant to treatment with amantadine (Symmetrel) and
rimantadine (Flumadine), two antiviral medications commonly used for flu. Oseltamavir
(Tamiflu) and zanamavir (Relenza), would probably work to treat H5N1, but tests are
still being completed.
What can I do to stay healthy?
Just like preventing other types of flu, good hygiene is key.
- Wash your hands frequently with soap and water.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
- Stay at home if you are sick.
Is it safe to eat poultry?
Yes ? as long as it is properly prepared. Cooking poultry and eggs to the
proper temperatures (160 to 180 degrees Fahrenheit) will kill the bird flu virus.
What is being done locally?
The Cuyahoga County Board of Health has created a Pandemic Flu Plan. You can view a
draft of that plan by clicking on the link above.
To learn more about avian influenza, visit the sites linked above.
Adapted from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) Web sites.
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