Bird flu and Your Personal Safety

What exactly is bird flu? How real is the bird flu danger? How does it threaten people? In this article, we'll review the basics of how viruses and influenza work, and we'll learn the answers to these questions about this flu, including whether it is likely to cause a global flu epidemic.

The world we live in today is not safer than the one known by our parents and grandparents. If you've kept up with the news lately, you've heard terrible warnings about bird flu. It's the most serious known health threat the world is facing that has swept through the world bird population. There’s never a total absence of risks in our lives. Risks are voluntary actions and can be managed. Emergencies can be met and handled, but it takes know-how and continuous awareness. What you can't prevent, you can usually compensate for or protect against. With alarm growing over the possibility of a bird flu pandemic, we all must acknowledge the fact that we bear some of the responsibility for making our environment safe and safety is thinking about other people, too.

“Remember that we live on the same planet and our interests are interconnected”

The following statements provide a summary of bird flu outbreaks:

It’s caused by the influenza A (H5N1) virus.
The infection can occur through the inhalation of the material infected with virus like cages, bird feeds, clothing, shoes of workers in farms, and any contaminated equipment.
There is a greater risk of getting bird flu while handling the infected bird or infected eggs than eating these foods, as most cases of bird flu infection in humans have resulted from direct or close contact with infected poultry or surfaces contaminated with secretions and excretions from infected birds.
Scientists believe that at least some migratory waterfowl are now carrying the virus and introducing the virus to poultry droves in areas that lie along their migratory routes.
Within a country the disease spreads easily from farm to farm. Even small quantities of bird droppings carry a large load of the virus.
Bird flu can appear within 1 – 5 days after contact with the infected material.
It can pass from bird to bird, and from bird to human. No noticeable evidence to confirm human-to-human transmission of bird flu.The fear is that mutation of the virus will cause it to be easily spread from person to person, since flu viruses can change rapidly.
The symptoms of bird flu in humans have ranged from standard flu-like symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat and muscle aches to eye infections and other complications.
It has killed around 55% of the people it has infected so far.
Humans have no immunity to it.
There is no vaccine. Any new vaccine will be limited, not widely available.
Antibiotics are useless against virus-caused flu.
It can be contained through quarantine.
The best way to cut the risk of attack is by taking sensible precautions. You are probably already aware of some of the precautions listed below, but some may be new to you, and you may find them useful. According to The US Department of Agriculture; “Proper handling and cooking of poultry provides further protection against this virus, as it does against many viruses and bacteria, including Salmonella and E.coli. Safe food handling and preparation is important at all times”.

Here is a summary of USDA recommendations:

Wash hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food (like fresh poultry and or eggs;
Prevent cross-contamination by keeping raw meat, poultry, fish, and their juices away from other foods;
After cutting raw meats, wash cutting board, knife, and counter tops with hot, soapy water;
Sanitize cutting boards by using a solution of 1 teaspoon chlorine bleach in 1 quart of water; and
Use a food thermometer to ensure food has reached the proper temperature. Cook whole birds to 180 °F; breasts to 170 °F; drumsticks, thighs and wings to 180 °F; ground turkey and chicken to 165º F; and a minimum oven temperature of 325 °F.
To paraphrase …

If the food is well cooked, there is hardly any risk of getting bird flu as no data suggest that the disease can be transmitted to humans through properly cooked food (even if contaminated with the virus prior to cooking). And in general, frequent and thorough hand washing is to be observed to avoid getting the disease during processing and cooking of possibly infected poultry.

While your government will follow certain policy and procedures to prepare for a pandemic, people action and people responsibility are of vital importance for the success of any plan to maximize our preparation So if there is an outbreak of the bird flu virus, the solution is readily available if people would just get the right information on flu prevention and treatment with vaccines or other medical products. Knowledge is POWER and we need to be prepared for an outbreak of bird flu.

Altogether, more than 50% of the confirmed cases have been fatal. This kind of flu in humans is still a relatively rare disease, but a very strict one that must be taken into consideration and closely studied, because of the potential this virus to evolve in ways that could cause a human pandemic.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
“Article by Eng. Muath Daraghmeh, Muath is the webmaster of http://www.provenEbiz.com Visit the site for the *best rated* Internet Business Opportunities, the latest time saving tools, e-books, news and lots more.”

Bird flu in humans

by Groshan Fabiola

Avian influenza is a problem that affects in most of the cases the birds. This type of infection is caused by the bird flu viruses also called avian influenza viruses. These viruses are common among birds. Wild birds carry these viruses in their intestines but they never get affected by these viruses. Wild birds are only able to spread the virus that is usually caught by the domesticated birds including chickens, ducks or turkeys. The domesticated birds are affected and their internal organs are weakening which may lead to death.
The infected birds carry the virus in their saliva, nasal secretions or faeces. After any contact with an infected surface the domesticated birds may become infected too. Water also helps the spreading of the virus as much as dirt or cages or feed.

Bird flu can affect the domestic birds in two different ways. The first possibility is that the virus to go undetected and to cause rare and mild symptoms such as falling feathers or low egg production. This first possibility is the easy way. The highly pathogenic form spreads more rapidly and has more severe effects than the first form. This form usually causes the multiple internal organs failure and may lead to death.

We know many subtypes of bird flu viruses, more exactly of A influenza viruses. These subtypes differ because of the changes of protein levels on the surface of the influenza A virus, hemagglutini HA and neuraminidase NA proteins. There are 16 HA subtypes and 9 NA subtypes of influenza A viruses. There are available many combinations between HA and NA proteins. Each of these combinations represents a different subtype. All of these possible combinations can be seen in birds.

Avian influenza virus or bird flu virus refers in most of the cases to birds. Even so these infections may occur in humans too. The risks of developing avian influenza are low in humans. That is why during the last years we only noticed a small number of cases. The first case was reported in 1997 in Hong Kong during the bird flu pandemic. Humans might capture the virus after getting in contact with the affected birds or with contaminated surfaces or materials.

Among humans there are known only three subtypes of influenza viruses: H1N1, H1N2 and H3N2. Influenza A H5N1, one of the most dangerous viruses usually do not affect people. Even so we saw some cases during the time. These cases were the result of getting in close contact with the infected poultry or contaminated surfaces.

About the Author
So, if you want to find out more about asian bird flu or even about bird flu vaccine please click this link http://www.bird-flu-info-center.com/

General information regarding Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)

by Groshan Fabiola

The World Health Organization (WHO) makes reports and updates regarding new human cases of infection with bird flu. The only subtype that can cause severe illness to people is Influenza A /H5N1 virus, initially it affects chickens, ducks and other birds by the process of mutation they can become highly pathogenic. Because highly pathogenic viruses can survive for long periods in tissue, water and in the environment, especially when temperatures are low is transmitted very easily in chickens and other birds through direct contact with feces and secretions from infected birds, eggs, feed, water, cages equipment, vehicles and clothing. Public health authorities monitor human illnesses associated with avian influenza. In Hong-Kong occured for the first time infection both in humans and poultry and were killed about 1.5 million chickens.
In China and Hong-Kong avian influenza A (H9N2) virus infection affected two children who recovered. The source was unknown, but suspected the poultry.

In Virginia, 2002 an outbreak of H7N2 among poultry was descovered but,with no human victims. Canada, 2004: human infections among poultry workers with H7N3.

Thailand and Vietnam human infections with H5N1. Azerbaijan, Cambodia, China, Djibouti, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Thailand, Turkey, 2006: Human infections with H5N1 occurred as a result of contact with infected poultry and with infected death swangs. Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, 2005 two persons have been infected with H5N1 as result of consuming uncooked duck blood. China two cases of patogenic infections with avian influenza A (H5N1) have been confirmed in a family travelling through China. Netherlands, 2003 were reported outbreaks of influenza A (H7N7) in several farms, after which in pigs and people, 90 people were confrmed with bird flu virus H7N7 in association with cases of eye conjunctivitis, one death occured at a veterinarian with acute respiratory distress syndrome and other complications after having direct contact with infected poultry. In New York, 2003 there has been registered one case a patient with respiratory symptoms which recovered in few weeks and tests confirmed it had been avian influenza A (H7N2) virus. Signs and symptoms of bird flu in humans are similar to other influenza viruses: sore throat and cough, fever, muscle weakness and/or pain, eye infections, with life-threatening complications such as: severe viral pneumonia, respiratory distress syndrome, multi- organ failure.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration suggests the following antiviral agents supposed to prevent and treat avian influenza: amantadine, rimantadine, oseltamivir, and zanamivir. They may be not always effective it has been demonstrated that viruses are resistent to amantadine and rimantadine. In the United States they are not in use any more for the treatment or prevention (prophylaxis) of influenza A. Specialists are monitoring the resistence of avian influenza A viruses to influenza antiviral medications.

About the Author
For more information about bird flu or even about bird flu vaccine please review this page http://www.bird-flu-info-center.com/bird-flu-vaccine.htm