Bird Flu In Britain - We Are All Going To Die

Bird flu has reached Britain. One hundred and sixty thousand turkeys have recently been called in Suffolk, England. This was after the local farmers looking after the birds decided that some of the birds looked unwell and called in the inspectors. After appropriate testing it was found that the birds were suffering from the dangerous strain of bird flu virus and that an exclusion zone needed to be kept around the bird habitat and the birds were killed.

Time for panic or at least so it would seem.

The first mention of bird flu, especially in Western countries, is usually met with the blind assumption that we?re all going to die. Nothing, of course, can be further from the truth and facts show that only 160 people have died around the world from bird flu. All of these have been in close proximity to infected birds. Try explaining this to the general population and you will be met with disbelief.

As yet we have not been subjected to true human bird flu. The virus, at the moment, is contained within birds, although it can spread to humans, there is not yet any known human spread. That is to say there is no reason to suspect that humans have passed on the mutated virus to other humans. When it does, it is highly likely that this spread will be quite rampant. And, of course, there will be deaths?there are deaths in normal flu epidemics. But the deaths will be mainly due to general debility or other intercurrent illnesses which have been affected by the flu virus itself.

It is highly likely that the mutated flu virus?the one that travels between humans---will be much less dangerous than the bird flu virus itself.

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Bird Flu Kits

Bird flu is not a new trend. In 1918 around 700 000 Americans were killed by this disease! This is why being prepared is essential! Every emergency preparedness kit needs survival gear such as respirators, protective overalls, eye protection, anti-microbial wipes, etc.

This is of course a debatable subject. Some scientists will argue that investing in something like ?flu wear? is a complete waste of time and money. Yet people will buy anything! And many people are running to get things from gloves to surgical masks to full biohazard suits!

Since avian flu or bird flu has spread all over the world, and jumped from China to Southeast Asia to Turkey, there has been an unprecedented level of interest in these safety supplies. But maybe there is good reason for this concern, as crazy as it may sound. But it is estimated that 750 000 people could die, in the UK alone, if this virus mutates and becomes capable of human-to-human transmission.

Sales of these bird flu safety kits have been even higher than those of anti-terrorism kits which sold like hot-cakes after July 7. July 7 being the day when a series of terrorist explosions killed over 50 people on the London subway. And it seems as though when people watch the news at night they get scared and look to these kits. This is the time where hits on websites supplying these kits will suddenly shoot up. And yes, children?s masks have also been developed and snatched up by worried parents.

Not only can you protect you child, but you can purchase a full ?family kit?. This is a lucky packet of protective wear against bird flu for the whole family!

It would probably be easier just to wash your hands constantly and avoid places with a lot of human traffic. Rather that than running around looking like an idiot in a full bird flu kit which will have you looking somewhat like an astronaut. But on the other hand, might this save your life? Whichever way, people do need to be educated about this virus. We need to keep ourselves aware. Prevention is obviously the best method!

Be more educated about Bird Flu

The Latest Bird Flu Update Revealed

Everyone is now aware of the threat of bird flu being upon us now. If you are unfamiliar with this particular virus then it can be summed up in one sentence, a form of influenza that affects bird species and has the potential to mutate into a virus harmful to humans. Basically it's the human influenza virus just in another form but still just as deadly. There are many things that people can so to avoid becoming infected by bird flu and one of these things is to constantly check for bird flu updates regularly.

There are many sites that offer an up to date bird flu update everyday. Most of these sites give information on the exact threat of the disease in certain countries. Make sure you get a bird flu update every week so that you can stay in touch with the happenings the current situation of the bird flu virus. Basically it's better to stay ahead of the rest of society so if the day comes that bird flu breaks out in your home town, you are already prepared for it and you and your family will be safe and secure.

Bird Flu Update One

Currently the happenings all over the world in reference to bird flu are as follows. An elderly Indonesian woman became the latest casualty of bird flu. This brings the number of deaths in the country from bird flu up to 54. Many experts believe things will start to get worse before they get better.

Bird Flu Update Two

A quiz was recently started in the USA to determine how well prepared people are for a possible bird flu breakout. $5.2 million was spent on preparing and sending out this quiz. This project is being looked over by Harvard researchers in accordance with the Federal Centers for Disease Control. It's unknown when the results will be ready for release.

Bird Flu Update Three

In more promising news a study has shown results that there perhaps is a cure for bird flu. In London Advanced X-ray technology has helped scientists spot a new target that drug designers might use to attack the dreaded bird flu virus. However scientists are still skeptical and believe we are at least a few years away from a complete cure for bird flu.

Make sure you always check weekly for the most recent bird flu update and remember to stay ahead of the news and most of all, always be prepared.

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What is Bird Flu

Bird flu is a contagious disease of animals that is caused by viruses. This virus is called avian influenza. This virus normally infects only birds. It is highly species-specific and on rare occasions cross the species barrier to infect humans. The infection with avian influenza virus causes two main forms of disease, distinguished by low and high extremes of symptoms. The low pathogenic form commonly causes only mild symptoms such as ruffled feathers or a drop in egg production. These may easily go undetected. The highly pathogenic form is far more serious. It spreads very rapidly through poultry flocks, causes disease affecting multiple internal organs, and has a mortality rate of 100%, which is often reached within 48 hours. How this virus spreads is still unknown. The role of migratory birds is not fully evident. Wild waterfowl are believed to be the natural reservoir of all influenza viruses. They have probably carried influenza viruses for centuries. Considerable circumstantial evidence suggests that migratory birds do bring in low pathogenic viruses to poultry flocks, which later mutates to highly pathogenic form. Any kind of widespread persistence of this virus in poultry population poses two main risks for human health. The first is the risk of direct infection when the virus passes from poultry to humans, resulting in very severe disease. The other that is of even greater concern is when the virus gets enough opportunities and changes into a form that is highly infectious for humans and spreads easily from person to person. This may even turn into pandemic flu and can be fatal. The drugs available for treatment of bird flu are not many. For cases of human infection a class of antiviral drugs, the amantadine and rimantadine, can potentially be used against pandemic influenza. The famous pharmaceutical company ROCHE's bird-flu drug Tamiflu is also available.

Norma Dsouza is a Health and Fitness Consultant. For more details please visit: www.checkflu.com

What is Bird flu?

Bird Flu Information
Bird flu is an infection caused by avian (bird) influenza (flu) viruses. These flu viruses occur naturally among birds. Wild birds worldwide carry the viruses in their intestines, but usually do not get sick from them. However, bird flu is very contagious among birds and can make some domesticated birds, including Chickens, ducks, and turkeys, very sick and kill them. Bird flu viruses do not usually infect humans, but several cases of human infection with bird flu viruses have occurred since 1997.Avian influenza or 'bird flu' is a highly contagious disease of birds, caused by influenza viruses. In birds, the viruses can present with a range of symptoms from mild illness and low mortality to a highly contagious disease with a near 100% fatality rate. The bird flu virus currently affecting poultry and some people in Asia and other areas is the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of the virus. As the virus can remain viable in contaminated droppings for long periods, it can be spread among birds, and from birds to other animals, through ingestion or inhalation.

There are many different subtypes of influenza a virus. The most virulent are called highly pathogenic avian influenza and can reach epidemic levels among birds. Of these, subtype H5, and more particularly subtype H5N1 currently, pose the greatest concern for human health. Two other subtypes - H9 and H7 - have caused illness in people but neither has caused outbreaks in poultry as severe as H5N1-related ones. The H5N1 virus does not usually infect humans. In 1997, however, the first case of spread from a bird to a human was seen during an outbreak of bird flu in poultry in Hong Kong. There have been other cases of H5N1 infection among humans. Most recently, human cases of H5N1 infection have occurred in Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia during large H5N1 outbreaks in poultry. The death rate for these reported cases has been about 50 percent. Most of these cases occurred from contact with infected poultry or contaminated surfaces; however, it is thought that a few cases of human-to-human spread of H5N1 have occurred.

Infection The causative agent is the avian influenza (AI) virus. AI viruses all belong to the influenza virus a genus of the Orthomyxoviridae family and are negative-stranded, segmented RNA viruses Avian influenza spreads in the air and in manure. Wild fowl often act as resistant carriers, spreading it to more susceptible domestic stocks. It can also be transmitted by contaminated feed, water, equipment and clothing; however, there is no evidence that the virus can survive in well cooked meat. The incubation period is 3 to 5 days. Symptoms in animals vary, but virulent strains can cause death within a few days.

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Bird Flu Pandemic

Bird Flu Pandemic What is a pandemic? Defined by Dictionary.com a pandemic is:

Widespread, general. Medicine. Epidemic over a wide geographic area and affecting a large proportion of the population: pandemic influenza. Are Pandemics Common?

On average mass epidemics occur every 20-30 years. It has been over 40 years since the last one.

If the Avian Influenza Virus mutates to a strand that is easily transmitted to humans it could kill millions.

In order for it to become a pandemic strain, it would have to adapt to become highly infectious to humans by injecting itself into a human virus.

Can it be Controlled? By changing traditional farming practices in Asia where animals and humans chares unsanitory quarters the likelihood of a spread would decrease.

Other facts: Over the last year, the virus has killed 32 vietnamese, 12 Thais, and one Cambodian.

The virus also hasbeen found in other animals such as tigers and cats.

For more information go to What is Bird Flu?

 

How to Protect the Mentally Challenged From Bird Flu

A bird flu pandemic is going to be a great disruption and test of humanity, but even more so to people who are mentally challenged, whether mentally retarded (MR) or who have psychiatric mental/emotional disorders.

Of course, all the physical ways of protecting ourselves from bird flu by remaining as isolated as possible, not physically touching people unless necessary, wearing Nanomasks and so on, apply to the mentally challenged as well as to everybody else.

Their extra risk comes from the impaired ability to adjust to a world where the bird flu virus is killing millions around the world, and the many consequences of that.

They may not understand that they should not go out, should not visit with friends, should not attend any adult day care, cannot go to work at their sheltered workshop and so on. Or that food can no longer be cooked but must come out of a can. Or that the lights may not work again for months. Or that the grocery store where they work is closed or that their job coach died from the flu. Or that batteries should be saved to operate the portable radio rather than a video game.

They may require patience and retraining in learning how to use a manual can opener, wash their bodies from a bucket or to keep a Nanomask snugly on their face at all time when out in public.

Schizoprenics may easily over-react to a bird flu pandemic. Imagine it's the end of the world, incorporate it into their own mental fantasies etc.

Paranoids may make the best adjustment to the realities of a bird flu pandemic. Although the bird flu virus is not out to get them personally, it is out to get all of us. During a bird flu pandemic, avoidance techniques are practical.

Depressed people will require close observation, since a bird flu pandemic will only encourage this emotion. Many people around the world will be feeling event-linked depression over the state of the world and grief for deceased friends and family.

Everybody will be feeling stressed out, so people who're already having problems coping emotionally will be all the more likely to look for a way out through suicide. Those who make the threat or attempt in an effort to get further help may not fully understand that a fully equiped ambulance and trained Emergency Medical Technicians are not a quick phone call to 911 away.

In their emotional state they may not understand that the local hospital and medical personnel are already too overloaded with bird flu patients. The extra help they need and want may simply not be there.

That leaves you to give them the emotional attention the need.

One major challenge during a serious and protracted pandemic will be obtaining prescription drugs. Check with their doctor about stockpiling an extra month or two of their medicine, in the event of a pandemic or other emergency.

You should also check with their doctor about care through the pandemic. Do they plan to stay available? They're first trained as regular physicians, so it is possible they would be pressed into service at a local hospital tending flu patients? Do they have any back up?

Check with their medical provider, but I suggest giving them some useful task that is not critical but which is important enough for them to understand they are contributing to the household during a situation that is difficult for everybody. Make it their job to put the tubs outside at night to catch any rainfall, or to help with the cooking, or to keep the dog chained in the backyard.

As much as possible, keep their minds on accomplishing the small but useful day to day tasks that survival depends on.

Richard Stooker is the author of How to Protect Yourself and Your Family From Bird Flu and Bird Flu Blog

How to Avoid Catching Bird Flu While Traveling

International travel has always had its special health challenges, but until recently most travelers were not afraid of anything worse than diarrhea.

Bird flu's changed that.

The bird flu H5N1 virus has now been found from Indonesia to Scotland and in six countries in Africa. So anybody traveling in the Eastern Hemisphere must consider their risk of catching bird flu.

Besides, it's expected to arrive in North America by this fall or even sooner, via migratory birds or bird smugglers. From there it'll no doubt reach Central and South America.

Bird flu hasn't been reported in Antarctica yet, but I would still advise you not to have close personal contact with the penguins.

You don't want to bring any H5N1 bird flu viruses home with you in your lungs. Although most advice focuses on chickens and other poultry, I think you should also avoid pigs, since then can have bird flu also.

Stay away from markets where chickens, ducks, geese and pigs are sold live.

Stay away from markets where chicken, duck, geese and pork meat are sold. Don't buy raw chicken, duck, geese or pork, even from supermarkets.

Stay away from farms where chickens, ducks, geese and pigs are raised.

In many poor countries, chickens walk freely around villages foraging for food. Try to stay away from them as much as possible.

(There is a certain charm in such areas, I understand. I once visited a rural Thai house where the only door was not attached to the doorframe -- but at night laid sidewides across the width of the opening to prevent chickens from wandering into the house at night. However, suffering from jet lag as I was, the loud crowing of the roosters at 2:00 AM kept me away. Don't let anybody tell you they wait for dawn!)

Don't attend cockfights. The sharp spurs spatter the audience with chicken blood.

Avoid zoos. If you must go in, avoid open bird exhibits. Keep your distance from any displays of ducks, swans etc.

If you are backpacking or trekking through the woods, avoid wild birds and their excrement.

Don't eat any raw or red chicken meat. Make sure it is thoroughly cooked. Cut it open with a knife before to make sure before you take a bite.

In my limited traveling experience in Asia, meat is very well done, perhaps as a sanitary custom to kill bacteria and parasites. However, Vietnam does have a national dish of raw duck blood soup. It's now discouraged by the government, but if you do happen to be offered it -- decline graciously.

Also, Laos and Lao people in northern Thailand eat a dish called lahp which is made from raw meat. That's usually beef but it can be pork or chicken. Politely decline all lahp unless it's beef or fish.

The same with eggs -- make sure all eggs you eat are well done. Do not order eggs "sunny side up." Do not eat if the yolks are runny. If you are heating a bowl of hot noodles, do not let them add a raw egg. Yes, the heat of the sauce hardened the eggs, but not the 70 degrees Celsius or 158 degrees Fahrenheit required to kill the bird flu virus.

Avoid people who are coughing and sneezing. Maybe they just have a cold. Maybe it's something worse.

If you happen to get sick, seek the best available medical care. The U.S. government is requiring its embassies and consulates to have a list of local medical care "resources," but I'm sure any decent hotel room clerk or taxi driver will know the best and nearest hospital or clinic. Chances are your medical insurance won't cover the cost, but check on that with the company before you leave home. If you live overseas there are health insurance plans available to expats. Look for them on Google.

Unfortunately, you can't avoid riding in airplanes. You're trapped in a small space along with many other people. You don't know what kind of germs they have. They may feel healthy and display no symptoms, because they've been infected with bird flu for less than a day.

The best advice I know of, is to suck on those zinc and Vitamin C lozenges that are sold to people with colds. They get zinc as close as possible to your mouth and nose. That's your best chance to trap any infections coming at you from the shared air of your jet cabin -- before they infect your lungs.

Take these sensible precautions and you have almost no chance of catching bird flu on your next vacation.

And if you do get diarrhea . . . I cleared that up in a few days by taking acidophilus capsules, bought at the local GNC.

Richard Stooker is the author of How to Protect Yourself and Your Family From Bird Flu and Bird Flu Blog

Battle against Bird Flu- Are we Prepared

Nature God is a whimsical God. At times it bestows all its boons on mankind and then there are times when it shows its harshest face. Since times immemorial man has been betraying nature and transforming it according to his own needs and requirements. Every time the human race tries to change the natural cycle there occurs devastation, a warning from the nature?s side. But man is even blessed with greatest gifts from the almighty in the shape of this Mother Nature. In case there occurs any trouble that is more because of his wrong deeds and ill doings. But he courageously faces the consequences and tries to find a solution to the existing problem.

This time the problem occurred with the chickens. The spread of this disease called Avian Flu or Bird Flu. At this time avian influenza (H5N1), is a disease of wild birds and domesticated poultry like farm chickens, ducks, and turkeys. Although millions of birds have been infected, only a very small number of people have been infected. Because all influenza viruses have the ability to change there is concern that the H5N1 virus could mutate and be spread easily and widely by humans. If that happens, it is possible that a pandemic or widespread outbreak of disease could occur. Viruses are masters of interspecies navigation. Mutating rapidly and often grabbing the genetic material of other viruses, they can jump from animals to humans with a quick flick of their DNA. Since the 1980s, the list of diseases that have hitchhiked directly from animals to people has grown rapidly ? hantavirus, SARS, monkey pox and, most recently, avian influenza, commonly called bird flu. With the exception of HIV/AIDS, perhaps none of these illnesses has more potential to create widespread harm than bird flu does.

In people, bird flu usually begins much like conventional influenza, with fever, cough, sore throat and muscle aches, but bird flu can lead to life-threatening complications. Avian influenza is not easily passed from birds to humans. People may get avian influenza by touching an infected bird, fluid or surfaces contaminated with fluids from infected birds and then touching their eyes, nose, or mouth. People who could be at risk are those who travel to countries with outbreaks of avian influenza and have close contact with live or improperly cooked poultry while there. Individuals with avian influenza (H5N1) usually develop symptoms within 10 days of contact with infected birds. Symptoms are usually severe and include high fever, muscle aches, cough, mucus production and shortness of breath. Abdominal pain and diarrhea can also occur.

Influenza viruses survive by mutating constantly and if the bird flu virus mutates to an airborne human to human virus the consequences could be catastrophic. Due to the hazardous effects of this fatal disease it became a challenge for the pharmacologists and scientists to find a solution to this problem and that came with TAMIFLU. Right now, the primary treatment option is the flu drug oseltamivir (Tamiflu), a neuraminidase inhibitor that works by preventing the virus from escaping its host cell. It's not clear how effective Tamiflu will ultimately prove against (A) H5N 1. So, now no more fears regarding this disease. Buy chap, online tamiflu and get rid of all the troubles and fears. So today again the human race is prepared to fight against this precarious disease and maintain the continuity of human race.
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Bird Flu- Hard to get, Harder to beat

 Going vegetarian these days fearing bird influenza? Ever wondered what exactly is this bird flu (derived from the word influenza). Bird flu or avian influenza is any virus adapted in humans from the bird species. The only known such virus are influenza A viruses, of which of which H5N1 is a subtype. Most people use the words ?avian flu? or ?bird flu? to mean H5N1.

Avian (or bird) flu is caused by influenza viruses that occur naturally among wild birds. The H5N1 variant is deadly to domestic fowl and can be transmitted from birds to humans. There is no human immunity and no vaccine is available.
As is explained it?s a three way process for a human to come in contact with a bird flu. First a wild bird is infected, which in turn infect the domestic fowls which we humans have chances of coming in contact with. But yes once we do get it, it can be fatal. This fear of acquiring bird flu sometimes gets the better of us intelligent beings. We have overrated a normal flu (cold, sore throat) to the levels of bird flu. Though the symptoms for them both are the same a bird flu symptoms are more severe and quick. It lasts longer and the body also feels lethargic and a sudden shot of body temperature leads to high fever.

But what if u does come in contact with the bird flu virus, what if u gets infected? There are no vaccines for this flu and antibiotics don?t work either. A medicine available on the net and with your doctors is oseltamivir, popularly branded as Tamiflu. Incase of an outbreak of the flu one must consult his doctor immediately and buy Tamiflu. It is advised to take Tamiflu within two days of coming in contact with the flu. One can also take Tamiflu for bird flu prevention if a family member already has been infected. Since the flu is infectious from human contact there is a chance of pandemic bird flu if the correct precautions are not heeded to. Various governments have stockpiled quantities of oseltamivir in preparation for a possible pandemic.
You can buy cheap Tamiflu online or get it from your doctor in case of a breakout of the flu.

Tamiflu is suitable for all adults and children above the age of one year. Tamiflu can have its own side effects as well, like nausea, dizziness, headache, stomach pain and vomiting.

It is always advised to consult your doctor before mistaking a common cold for bird flu and act accordingly. Even bird flu can be cured if dealt without haste and fear.

Bird flu Pandemic across the World

Today, people around the world have been witnessing a major health crisis and health professionals are working day and night to control the spread of avian flu. Several Asian countries have reported cases of avian influenza, commonly referred to as bird flu or avian flu, in their domestic and wild bird populations.
Avian influenza is an infection caused by avian flu viruses, which occur naturally among birds. They are of different subtypes like H1N1, H1N2, and H3N2 according to the protein type they combine with. But the identified subtype for the recent bird flu outbreak is H5N1; it has crossed the species barrier and has infected humans.
Avian flu is a communicable disease among birds and can make some domesticated birds, including chickens, ducks, and turkeys, very sick and kill them. Influenza virus gets transmitted to the domesticated birds if direct contact is made with the infected fowl or poultry, or through their saliva, nasal secretion or feces, and sharing of same water or feed that have been contaminated with the virus. The current strain of H5N1 influenza is considered to be highly pathogenic. Laboratory studies have confirmed that isolates from this virus have a high pathogenicity and can cause severe disease in humans. The H5N1 virus has raised concerns about a potential human pandemic because:
* It is virulent
* It is being transmitted by migratory birds
* It can be transmitted from birds to mammals and humans, and
* Like other influenza viruses, it continues to evolve.
Symptoms of avian influenza in humans are fever, cough, sore throat, muscle aches, eye infections, pneumonia, severe respiratory diseases, and other severe and life-threatening complications. The fatality of the infection will depend mostly on the state of the immune system of an infected person.
It is very difficult to prepare a vaccine for a pandemic outbreak of influenza virus; and till-now a specific anti-avian influenza vaccine for humans is not readily available. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. have suggested that the anti-viral medication oseltamivir phosphate, with the brand name Tamiflu, may be effective in treating avian influenza.
With online buying option, you can buy Tamiflu online, as it is safe, time and money saving method. Online pharmacy will give you free online consultation and discount so that you can save up to $80 when you order this drug in bulk amount.
In spite of Tamiflu, U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved an anti-viral drug amantadine for the treatment of H5N1 infection in adults. According to the research done by Dr. Thomas Jefferson, based at the Cochrane Vaccines Field in Italy, has shown that amantadine can prevent 61% of H5N1 cases and 25% of influenza-like illness.

There is no guarantee when the virus H5N1 becomes resistant to Tamiflu or some other anti-viral medicine. Therefore, additional studies and more research work are needed to determine the effectiveness of these medicines to safeguard the public health. Furthermore, outbreak of the flu can be prevented by quarantining the infected poultry farms and protecting the workers involved in culling process by providing proper clothing and equipment and a complete dose of anti-viral medicine.

SteveDcosta is an associated editor to the website http://www.checkflu.com, a Roche Tamiflu Online site, is committed to provide visitors with complete information on Roche Tamiflu, Treatment of Influenza, Tamiflu, Influenza, Avian Influenza, H5N1 Virus, Human Transmission, Bird Flu, Mutating Virus, Neuraminidase Inhibitors, Oseltamivir Phosphate, Treatment of Flu.Your feedback & comments will be highly appreciated at stevedcosta@gmail.com

Bird Flu: An Introduction To The Latest Global Health Threat

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently sounded a global health alarm in response to a new threat that has been emerging in several regions, particularly Asia. This threat is the avian influenza, more commonly known as bird flu, which is an infectious diseases that affects only birds...until recently.

What exactly is bird flu?

Bird flu is an infectious disease caused by several subtypes of the Influenza A virus, which is known to affect birds, particularly migratory birds, ducks and chickens. Bird flu is also reportedly known to affect pigs and ducks although these animals only serve as carriers and are not known to exhibit symptoms of the disease. Migratory birds, in general, are equipped to handle the virus. They do not get sick but they have the ability to contaminate other birds in areas they migrate to. This is crucial factor in the spread of disease because migratory birds travel great distances, often from one country to another.

When did bird flu start?

Bird flu is not a new disease. First discovered in Italy in 1878, it was initially called "fowl plague" because it largely affected chicken livestock. However, it was only in 1955 that the Influenza A virus is the cause of bird flu. Since then, several subtypes of the Influenza A virus has been discovered in about a hundred bird species.

According to research, wild waterfowls, particularly ducks, are the most common carriers of the disease. The ducks, however, do not get sick from it. It was discovered that gulls, waterfowls and shorebirds are natural "reservoirs" of the bird flu virus. These animals appear to have developed antibodies to fight against the virus. Other bird species, however, have not developed this immunity to the virus.

Symptoms of bird flu

Birds with mild forms of avian influenza can exhibit ruffled feathers and poor egg production. Birds with advanced or extreme forms of the disease may show signs of excessive shedding, respiratory infections and a swollen head. When the disease worsens, death usually comes within 48 hours. This is because bird flu not only affects the respiratory systems of birds but also other tissues and organs, causing major hemorrhaging.

History of bird flu outbreaks

In the 1980s, bird flu outbreaks in chickens and birds occurred in Scotland, England, Canada, Germany, United States, Australia and Ireland. Again in the 1990s the same countries, with the exception of Germany and Scotland, had outbreaks. This time, Italy, Pakistan, Hong Kong, the Netherlands and Chile joined them. However, these outbreaks were small-scale; and highly pathogenic outbreaks are rare.

Then in 1997, a major outbreak of bird flu occurred in Hong Kong, which left 18 people infected and six people killed. In response to the outbreak, the Hong Kong government killed Hong Kong's entire poultry population, which was estimated at 1.5 million. Many believe that this rapid response to the bird flu outbreak was the best solution and helped avert it from becoming a pandemic.

To determine if a bird flu virus is highly pathogenic, eight chickens between four and eight weeks old are inoculated with the infectious virus. If 75 percent of the samples (six chickens) die within eight days, the virus is considered to be very pathogenic. In addition, a highly pathogenic virus will show a distinctive sequence of amino acids located at the cleavage site, the HA part of the chain.

Niall Cinneide publishes an avian influenza news website, and an informational site with reports and articles about bird flu at http://www.bird-flu-alert.info

This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and the live links are included intact.

Will the ChimigenTM Vaccine Stop Bird Flu, Anthrax and Hepatitis?

We interviewed Dr. Rajan George, Adjunct Faculty of the University of Alberta's Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Department. Dr. George is also Vice President of Research and Development for the Division of Infection Diseases of ViRexx Medical Co.

Interviewer: Can you describe ViRexx Medical's Chimigen? therapeutic vaccine?

Dr. Rajan George: Chimigen therapeutic vaccine is used to produce immune responses in a host against infections which are difficult to produce immune responses, by targeting the vaccine to dendritic cells. The Chimigen platform can be extended to develop therapies for difficult-to-treat chronic infectious diseases.

Interviewer: Does that mean the Chimigen platform can be used to treat any infectious disease?

Dr. Rajan George: Yes, except in cases where the immune system is non-functional, as in the case of HIV.The Chimigen platform can be used to produce either a therapeutic vaccine or a prophylactic vaccine. This depends on the disease target and the antigen plugged into the platform. Some antigens have a use in treating infection, while others have a use in preventing an infection. Either one would be targeted to the dendritic cells. The therapeutic vaccine generates a cytotoxic T cell response. A prophylactic vaccine would generate a B cell response and antibody production.

Interviewer: How broad are the applications for the Chimigen? vaccine

Dr. Rajan George: We should be able to use this platform for cancer therapy, depending upon the cancer antigen we use. We can plug in a specific cancer antigen into this platform, and the vaccine targeted to dendritic cells. The dendritic cells would process and present the right antigen, then generating immune responses against the cancer.

We are also evaluating some bioterrorist viruses, the biological weapons terrorists would use, and are looking at one of those viruses to see if we can come up with the prophylactic vaccines against bioterrorism

Interviewer: Would the Chimigen? vaccine be effective as a prophylactic against avian flu, H5N1?

Dr. Rajan George: It could work for bird flu if we just plugged in the bird flu antigen into the platform. Then we can use it as a prophylactic. It generates antibody to generate B-Cell response. You can produce a prophylactic vaccine using this platform. The Chimigen? platform is quite adaptable.

Interviewer: How high is your confidence level in producing a prophylactic vaccine for the avian flu virus?

Dr. Rajan George: My thinking is that it is quite high. I think very highly of having a vaccine like that. But, the ultimate proof has to come from humans. Our HepaVaxx B clinical trial will give us a lot of information on how the technology really works. Until then, our optimism is based on laboratory results.

Interviewer: Can you describe what comprises the Chimigen platform?

Dr. Rajan George: The platform has two components. The first one is from the infectious agent. The second component is from a murine monoclonal antibody. Part one is fused with a fragment of part two by recombinant technology to produce a new entity, the Chimigen? vaccine. We are recombining one thing with another. We have a virus which has certain antigens. We take one of those, and we produce a recombinant molecule with the fragment we have taken from a murine monoclonal antibody. Chimigen is the term we came up with to include the meaning of the full phrase, chimeric antigen. Chimeric means it comes from two different sources. We put them together and create a new molecule. One is from the virus. The other one is from the mouse, the monoclonal antibody. Now we have by recombinant methods produced a protein which is a chimeric protein.

Interviewer: How do you produce such a flexible vaccine, one that appears capable of treating nearly any infection?

Dr. Rajan George: To produce a Chimigen? vaccine to treat nearly any infection, we start with an antigen (protein) from the infectious agent. We fuse it with a fragment called Fc of a mouse monoclonal antibody. This is done using recombinant methods. We end up with a new protein. This protein is made in a cell culture of commercially available insect cells. The protein is produced by the insect cells. From the culture, we purify this particular protein that we made. The insect cell system is just a tool. By virtue of its production in insect cells, the protein attains special properties which are useful in generating better immune responses. Producing this protein in insect cells gives it some very peculiar properties, which are different from our own mammalian proteins. Once we have it coming out of the cell, we purify it and make it really pure. Now we have a protein with the virus antigen murine monoclonal antibody with modified properties.

Interviewer: What do you mean when you say, "useful in generating better immune responses"?

Dr. Rajan George: When a person has a chronic virus infection, his or her body ignores the virus and associated proteins. The body treats the virus as part of itself. The body does not recognize this virus as something foreign to it. Therefore the immune system does not attack the virus. But, by combining the virus antigen with a foreign protein such as the murine antibody fragment, the whole chimeric protein now is recognized by the body's immune system as "foreign," different from something of its own. In essence, this is a re-education of the immune system to switch its recognition of the virus from "self" to "foreign".

Interviewer: From where did the scientific model come, and does it have similarities to another ViRexx Medical product, OvaRex MAb??

Dr. Rajan George: This scientific model arose from discussions among the three lead scientists of the company, Dr. Tony Noujaim, Dr. Lorne Tyrrell, both founders of the company and myself. The collective thoughts of all of us went into the design of the Chimigen? platform. One major similarity between Chimigen and OvaRex is that both involve a murine monoclonal antibody. Another similarity is that both target dendritic cells. The Chimigen model came from thoughts about targeting dendritic cells, but without the use of antibodies. OvaRex is a murine monoclonal antibody against the cancer antigen CA-125. The Chimigen? vaccine has a fragment of a murine monoclonal antibody. OvaRex needs the CA-125 antigen in a cancer patient to bind to. The bound complex goes to the dendritic cells. The Chimigen? vaccine does not need to look for the antigen in a patient because it already has the relevant antigen built in it.

Interviewer: How is the Chimigen? vaccine different from OvaRex? in dealing with a hostile threat to the body's health.

Dr. Rajan George: OvaRex binds to the antigen CA-125. Then, the CA-125/Ovarex complex binds to the dendritic cells. The complex is internalized and processed. The peptides generated from the antigen are presented to the T cells, and the chain of events in the immune system gets stimulated. The activated cytotoxic T cells eliminate the cancer cells which contain the CA125 antigen.

In the case of the Chimigen? vaccine, the vaccine itself contains the antigen. It goes through the dendritic cell pathway and triggers the CTL response to clear the virus-infected cells. The system also produces antibodies to viral antigens, which bind virus and viral antigens and accelerate their removal. Because of the presence of the murine monoclonal antibody fragment, which is foreign to humans, along with the antigen from the virus, the body's immune system treats this as a new threat and takes action.

Interviewer: How would this work in treating Hepatitis B?

Dr. Rajan George: Developing a treatment for Hepatitis B chronic infection, for someone who already has the infection, would involve re-educating the immune system to react differently than it previously has. The infected person already has this virus and the derived antigens. If you put some more of the same antigens into the person, the person's immune system is not going to know the difference His body is going to say, "Well, what's the difference? I already have it. I am not going to do anything with it." The body will ignore it. That's what is called tolerance. With the Chimigen? therapeutic vaccine, we have changed the body's immune response to the virus.

Interviewer: How then have you changed the body's response to the infection?

Dr. Rajan George: In a Hepatitis B chronic infection, let's say I have the infection. My system is tolerating the virus. It's ignoring the presence of the virus. While that is happening, the virus may be causing disease in with my liver. With time, it's going to get my liver into trouble and my immune system has not responded adequately to remove the threat. We inject the protein - the one we just produced, which we call the Chimigen? Therapeutic Vaccine - into the HBV chronic carrier, a person who has a chronic hepatitis B virus infection. What happens is when our protein is administered, the dendritic cells are going to look for anything new which enters the body. Those cells are the immune system's first-line surveillance. The dendritic cells are going to see this new foreign protein, and they are going to think that this is different from what was previously inside. Their recognition of the molecule has changed from what it was before. Before the virus protein was recognized as a "self" protein. Now it is being recognized as a "foreign" protein. In chronic hepatitis B virus infection, the dendritic cells saw the virus as part of the "self" of the host, the vaccine changes the recognition of the virus protein as "foreign" to the host. Because the viral antigen is linked to the fragment of the mouse monoclonal antibody the direct the chimigen to dendritic cells it will enter the dendritic cell and be processed and stimulate an immune response.

Interviewer: And after the vaccine injection, what does the body see?

Dr. Rajan George: The body's immune system see a new foreign antigen composed of a portion of the mouse monoclonal antibody linked to the viral antigen. It's a foreign antigen." The new "chimigen" stimulates an immune response to the antigen as well as the viral antigen. This is very important because the virus antigen was previously being ignored. Now, it's being recognized as foreign through linked recognition of the mouse antigen as being foreign.

Interviewer: How do the dendritic cells react after they recognize this foreign threat?

Dr. Rajan George: The dendritic cells are the sentries of the immune system. They guard what comes in. When they recognize a "foreign situation," what does the immune system do? It treats the whole molecule, the whole protein including the virus antigen, as foreign. The dendritic cells chop up this protein into small pieces called peptides. These peptides also are called "epitopes." There are T cell epitopes which are smaller, and B cell epitopes which are longer. These small peptides bind to MHC I and activate Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs). The dendritic cells have a system where they put the T-cell epitope on another protein, MHC Class I, and bring it to the surface of the dendritic cell. They are presented as a complex on the surface of the dendritic cell to attract the T-cells. The T-cells come and see this, then get activated. Now, the activation is also specific to the virus protein. There are different varieties of T-cells, but the cytotoxic T-Cells are the most important in eliminating infections that already exist. The activated cytotoxic T-cells are the ones who do the attacking. They are the ones who start killing the virus infected cells.

Interviewer: And what about the B Cells?

Dr. Rajan George: That is the other side to this story. The dendritic cells can present another kind of peptide epitope. There is a second class of peptides, which are also produced when the protein is chopped up. The dendritic cells stimulate the B-Cells, B-Lymphocytes. And B-lymphocytes produce antibodies. The longer peptides bind to MHC II and activate B lymphocytes (B cells). B cells produce antibodies against the peptides. The antibodies are specific to the antigens we put in the Chimigen? Therapeutic Vaccine. Antibodies bind to viral proteins that are on the surface of and block the ability of the virus to bind to a target cell to cause an infection and prevent the infection. This is the basis of a prophylactic vaccine. The antigen can bind to the invading virus and form a complex that the body eliminates.

The B-Cells produce antibodies against the virus antigen, which we have put in the Chimigen? vaccine. What do these antibodies do? The antibodies are specific to the antigen and bind to the viruses because they have the antigen. The system removes the virus by binding with the antibody. Also, the system removes infected cells using cytotoxic T-lymphocytes. Both of these actions are achieved by the Chimigen? vaccine.

Interviewer: Why would your vaccine work where others have tried and failed?

Dr. Rajan George: The reason is because of the novelty of the technology. We are re-educating the body's own immune system to do the work by using the Chimigen? technology. When you inject a xenotypic antibody , that is a non-human antibody that is linked to a specific antigen. The body recognizes the whole molecule as foreign and produces immune responses with both T- and B-Cell immunity. We believe that this enhanced immune response will be helpful in controlling the viral infection in the case of viral chimigens.

Interviewer: Much of the research has been within the laboratory. How much of this is hypothetical?

Dr. Rajan George: Our experiences so far have been mostly with isolated systems, meaning experimental systems outside of the body. For example, ViRexx's Chimigen? vaccine for treating chronic hepatitis B infection is what we call HepaVaxx B. This is waiting to go into Phase I clinical trials. We have done a lot of ex vivo experiments in the lab to evaluate the immune responses it can produce. We showed what we had predicted in theory has been true. We have also done some animal experiments, where the vaccine showed similar effects, again, as predicted. For HepaVaxx B, the animal results are also showing great progress and promise. We believe the Phase I studies will show safety and maybe some immunological data. The advanced clinical trials, Phase II and III, will tell us exactly what happens in humans (efficacy) with a chronic infection of Hepatitis B.

James Finch contributes to StockInterview.com and other publications. His archived articles can be found at www.stockinterview.com. Please contact James Finch with your feedback and comments by emailing him at: jfinch@stockinterview.com

Avian Bird Flu Information

To combat a possible avian bird flu epidemic, the following should be considered and done:

1. The single most important thing than can be done for an epidemic, such as avian bird flu, is to have well-prepared local health care systems. People should be prepared in ways that are sustainable and will remain useful even if the epidemic does not occur.

2. Preparation of social norms and emergency procedures that would limit or delay the spread of the avian flu epidemic. Regular hand washing, and other beneficial cleanliness custom may save more lives than all other medicines combined.

3. The proper recognition and prizes should be given to those who have come up with effective vaccines for the avian bird flu disease. On the same note, vaccine makers should be given the freedom to make use of state materials needed for the vaccines. It can be noted that some parts of the government are discouraging these activities rather than encouraging them.

4. Relevant drugs and vaccines for the avian bird flu disease should be bought and sold at fair prices. This is in respect to the intellectual property rights of the people. To confiscate these things is to reduce the incentive for innovation and protection that may help many people in the future.

5. Make preparations to ensure the continuity of food and power supplies. The most relevant supplies should include the check clearing system and the use of mass transit to deliver food supply and get workers to their job destination.

6. The federal government, despite being powerful, will be deemed powerless in the worst times of avian bird flu epidemic. It is therefore appropriate to have local plans ready to be used when the situation calls for it.

7. Encourage the formation of prediction markets about the avian bird flu epidemic. This will give the people a better idea and perspective of the probability of a possible widespread including human-to-human transmission.

8. There should be enough foreign aid to the receipt of useful information about the progress of avian flu. This will be especially useful in some Asian countries where the avian bird flu epidemic is rampant.

9. The World Health Organization should be reformed to be able to cater to these epidemics. Greater autonomy to its government funders.

If there are some things to be done before or in times of the avian bird flu epidemic, there are also things that should not be done:

1. Tamiflu and vaccine stockpiling have their useful roles. But they should be the centerpieces of a plan. In addition to the medical limitations of these investments, other institutional factors, such as transportation, will restrict the ability to allocate these supplies promptly to the persons needing them.

2. Do not rely solely on quarantines and mass isolations. Both can be counterproductive. Rather than limit the spread of avian bird flu, they have the tendency to spread the disease more.

3. In times of any type of epidemic, people should not expect the Army or Armed Forces to be part of a useful response plan. An avian bird flu epidemic is no exception. As powerful as they might seem, they are also liable to have the disease themselves.

4. Do not expect to block off or isolate the pandemic in its country of origin. One should never assume that it has not spread abroad already. Once a pandemic has started abroad, public places such as schools and marketplaces should be shut off immediately to be on the safe side.

5. People should not obsess over avian bird flu at the expense of other medical issues. The epidemic or other public health crisis could come from any number of sources. By focusing on local preparedness and decentralized responses, this is a robust plan enough that will prove useful before and during the spread of this kind.

Linda Robins is website owner. Stop by and visit Wellness and Relaxation

Bird Flu Information and Update

Laboratory tests have confirmed that bird flu was the cause of death of a middle-aged Indonesian male in November 2005. The man was the 14th fatality of bird flu infections in Indonesia, and the ninth bird flu case confirmed by the World Health Organization after the case was sent by local health officials to Hong Kong for verification.

The confirmation brings to 70 the number of people in Asia who have died in the last two years from the H5N1 strain, now considered the deadliest avian influenza virus subtype. Antiviral medications such as amantadine and rimantadine, which are usually given to treat influenza, do not work on the avian flu virus. Drugs are being developed and temporarily used on patients who appear to have succumbed to the avian flu disease. Although they appear to be responding to treatment and are showing improvements, further tests need to be done to ensure the effectivity of these new drugs.

With avian influenza, birds could transmit the disease to humans. Birds carry the bird flu virus in their intestines when they migrate for the winter. The virus, which does not affect the carriers, is deadly to those who come in contact with birds carrying the virus. When chickens, birds or geese come in contact with a bird carrying the virus through the bird's saliva, nasal secretions or feces, they can become infected, fall ill and die in 48 hours.

Humans infected with the avian flu have symptoms that include a fever, sore throat or muscle pain, which are similar to symptoms of human influenza. Thus, it is easy to mistakenly diagnose an actual avian flu as human influenza. However, humans infected with avian flu would have worse symptoms - eye infections and respiratory problems that could become life threatening.

It's important to note that humans will not usually get avian flu unless they have been in close contact with infected poultry. Since the number of people that has been infected with the disease is still low and confined to a few children and adults, there is no serious cause of alarm yet. However, scientists and the health community are concerned that the disease, which usually affects poultry livestock, may evolve into something that will adversely affect humans.

Before the bird flu, there was a disease that came from bovines, commonly known as mad cow disease. This disease came about from the practice of feeding cattle with processed foods. Later on, the cows developed an infection in the brain. The infection caused cows' brains to produce sponges, which made the animals go wild and die. Humans who ate meat from infected cattle fell sick and died. To rid of the mad cow disease problem, entire livestock were slaughtered, killed and burned. This prevented the outbreak from reaching other farms. Slaughtering infected cattle was done in many countries in the Asian region, including parts of Eastern Europe and Russia.

The bubonic plague killed millions of people in the 14th century. Transmitted by rats, the disease originated from China and spread on to Europe through merchants who came back from the long voyage from China. The same disease was also transmitted by fleas, which proved fatal when it was passed on to humans. The disease dragged on for years, killing millions more. The bubonic plague happened centuries ago, when medical science was not yet developed to cope with the epidemic and save lives of millions.

However, with the advances in technology today, scientists will be able to study the avian flu disease further. By closely watching the migratory patterns of birds and understanding the disease, scientists may help prevent avian flu from becoming another global outbreak.

Niall Cinneide publishes a news site, with reports and articles, about bird flu at http://www.bird-flu-alert.info may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and the live links are included intact.Bird-Flu-Alert.info

Avian Bird Flu Poses Serious Threats To Humans

The global health community has been in a state of alarm due to recent outbreaks of the avian influenza disease in many parts of the world, particularly in Asia. The disease has infected humans, prompting many to believe that a global pandemic will soon occur.

In the past decades, avian influenza has affected only birds and in some cases, pigs. Avian influenza does not normally affect humans but the first human case of avian influenza has been recently documented. Diseases previously known to only affect animals have crossed over to humans - avian influenza being one of these diseases. As a consequence, this crossing over has started many of the health pandemics that the world has suffered from for centuries.

Avian flu virus: constantly mutating

Avian influenza typically affects birds, specifically migratory birds, ducks and chickens. Avian influenza is an infectious viral disease that is similar to human flu. Several subtypes of Type A flu viruses cause avian influenza. Avian influenza differs from human flu in terms of the proteins that reside on the surface areas of the avian influenza virus subtypes.

It is known that there are 16 different HA (hemagglutinin) subtypes and nine NA (neuraminidase) subtypes of the avian influenza virus. These subtypes can combine with each other, producing different subtypes of the disease. Because of these constant combinations of subtypes, producing vaccines becomes even more difficult. One can never know what subtype will emerge next, let alone what its impact will be.

In addition, viruses are known to be constantly evolving. Viruses are constantly "changing their spots." Thus, scientists have to also evolve the medicines and vaccines that are being produced in order to keep up with the viruses' constant evolution.

H5N1: deadly avian flue subtype

So far, only a few subtypes of the avian influenza virus have managed to cross over from the bird species to human species. These subtypes are H9N2, H7N7, H7N3 and H5N1. Of these subtypes, H5N1 has created the biggest alarm within the international health community. Among the subtypes that have been reported to affect humans, the H5N1 subtype appears to be the worst. The H5N1 subtype has caused more than 50 deaths to date.

Bird flu symptoms in humans are dependent on the subtype that caused the infection. Some of the bird flu symptoms in humans are typical flu like symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat and muscle aches. Bird flu symptoms in humans also include eye infections, pneumonia, and severe respiratory diseases such as acute respiratory distress and other life-threatening complications.

Avian flu: human to human transmission may be possible

The avian influenza virus and its subtypes have the tendency to easily mutate. This may be one reason that the avian flu has managed to cross over from birds to human beings. This mutation may also be the reason that human to human transmission of the disease is a distinct possibility.

The World Health Organization has said that there are three ways for the virus to cross over and become a "human flu", which means that the disease will not only be contracted from birds but also from humans. Humans may contract the virus and mutation occurs while the virus is within the body. The bird flu virus may also combine with ordinary human flu, thereby assimilating the characteristics of the disease, including its ability to infect humans. Mutation through combination with human flu can occur in the body of humans who contract the disease while being sick with human influenza or by being in contact (consumption, for example) with pigs, which serve as carrier of both kinds of flu.

Niall Cinneide publishes a news site, with reports and articles, about avian bird flu at http://www.bird-flu-alert.info

This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and the live links are included intact. All rights reserved. Copyright Bird-Flu-Alert.info

Don't ignore the threat of bird flu!

 

In the midst of all the commotion that is being created in the world today, yet another bolt of lightning has struck man kind recently. And this time, it has fallen straight from the sky. Thanks to our feathered friends, bird flu or avian influenza is slowly and steadily claiming human lives. According to statistics, bird flu has spread its wings all across the globe and is soaring fast, subtly preying on poultry and humans alike.

Though bird flu has not reached an epidemic level, it should not be shunned as a timely phenomenon. Everyday, across continents, people are falling victim to it and succumbing to death. Especially, in countries where there are no advance mechanisms and the resources to effectively counter the disease in case of an outbreak, the time to layout immediate action plans and precautionary measures is now.

There is no such thing as a 'possible threat' when millions of lives are at stake. Nobody knows for a fact whether the avian influenza virus is or is not a potential catastrophe waiting to unleash itself. Therefore, at this time, there is no room for complacency. No matter what the experts say, it is best to get into the defensive mode and do everything possible to fight back in this battle to stay alive.

The logic is simple. Why wait for something bad to happen and then get into the safety drive? Instead, why not start now and stay ahead of the threat? Hence, the only saving grace right now is vaccination and drugs like Tamiflu, which fortunately has the ability to control or even cure the raging flu that is hovering close.

It is an open canvas. And the catch is what you want the picture to be. It could either be a gory painting of death everywhere or a painting with happy smiling faces, as it should be. The choice is definitely yours and the truth, however blatant, is that there can only be one result when this is all over, you have either won or you have either lost the battle.

As a conclusion, let us believe that the bird flu is a deadly threat. Because if it is, it is not going to be pretty and the only thing protecting us from being infected would be our preparedness that instigated us to stack life saving drugs like Tamiflu. So, why take chances?

Hayley Stubbs an associated editor to eupharma.co.uk, is a contributing author to the http://www.eupharma.co.uk for distinct article sites/journals. Please feel free to visit http://www.eupharma.co.uk for more information on General Health related issues. Or write to him AT hayley.stubbs@gmail.com. Any comments and /or suggestions will be highly appreciated. Please note that this article is not a substitute for medical advice

Human to Human Transmission of Bird Flu- Is it Possible

The turn of the birds


It might have been the rats first and now it?s the turn of the birds; men are at constant war with the rest of the world. The war that includes more than what the human eyes could possibly endure; this time we are to deal with the H5N1 viruses which are on the edge of an outbreak. And for you layman, the message we wish to convey is this, birds are on the verge of spreading the flu and the possibility of treating Avian flu lies more in preventing the infection at first hand. You have options from Tamiflu to Amantadine, drugs which give you the chance to survive the disease if consumed within forty eight hours of the start of symptoms.


The micro level recombinations


What binds the success men have still against the reach of a pandemic is that H5N1 spreads only from a bird to a human. The need of the hour is take a quicker look to examine the nature of such a belief. True to the words, influenza A virus is specific to certain species other than birds. Birds have a craving for all subtypes of the virus. Animal to animal, bird to bird and between animals and birds the disease spread with ease. What the foresight of human fails to capture has more to be blamed on the reassorments that go past his eyes to the micro level. With the start of the flu symptoms, humans are at constant risk of the process that goes down further within their nerves. Genetic recombination?s could mould a H5N1 to dance intone to the genes within the human body resulting in something that is deadly, a strain that could cross over from a human to a human.


Rewriting the routes of history


So the possibility of exposure to the virus is the best way in which you could avert the disaster. Maybe a careful evaluation of the virus in human would take a year to produce an anti dose to save the species. However that would be the time more for bird flu to avenge the death that humans had spread between them. This is a suicide attack of the flyers. You have the options let bare as the need of the hour to escape the clutches of Avian flu is necessary to all. Get ready and equip yourself with the remedy. Get Tami flu and Amantadine by your side to seize the spread of the symptoms. The long road that stretches back to the routes of history has proved time and again that when men lagged to make the right decision he lagged to make the proper existence; this is the time to rewrite history, strive for the best.
 

What Are the Symptoms of Bird Flu

How can you know whether your or a loved one has bird flu or just a case of ordinary flu? That's not a simple question to answer.

Frankly, the only 100% way is to have body secretions tested by a World Health Organization (WHO) laboratory such as the U.S. Center for Disease Control in Atlanta Georgia. There are also such laboratories in Melbourne Australia and London England.

Obviously, they are not available to just any and every household and clinic with a flu patient. Right now there're probably overwhelmed with testing new and suspected cases in Southeast Asia, Europe and Africa.

If you have good reason to believe that you have been exposed to bird flu, then you should go right away to a clinic or hospital to be tested and get the care you'll need if your case becomes severe.

You have good reason to believe you have been exposed to bird flu if you live in or have travelled recently in SouthEast/South Asia, the Mid-East, Europe or Africa. Especially if you work with or around chickens or you have been around chickens. That is, to a chicken market or to a cock fight (where chicken blood and other fluids and sprayed through the air and onto the audience.) And also if you've eaten any undercooked chicken or eggs from those areas.

If you are in those areas and feeling very sick, get medical attention immediately even if you have not been exposed to chickens. You never know -- when bird flu becomes highly contagious, somebody is going to be the first victim to have no exposure to chickens. I hope it's not you, but I don't know that.

Right now, those of us who live in North or South America have no direct exposure to bird flu. But of course that will eventually change. And it's possible somebody could catch it from a migrating duck.

For example, near my apartment there's a small municipal park with a nice pond stocked with fish . . . and ducks love it! In nice weather hundreds of people especially children are exposed to ducks and their manure.

The difficult thing is that bird flu is, first of all, influenza. It infects the cells lining your respiratory tract and therefore causes symptoms that are much the same as ordinary flu:

Fatigue Coughing Sneezing Muscle pain High fever Sore throat Conjunctivitis -- pink eye

Bird flu can also cause:

Stomach ache Vomiting - including blood Severe headaches Bone aches Severe fatigue lasting longer than ordinary flu Stuffy nose Dizziness Diarrhea

During the first one or two days, bird flu will look exactly like ordinary flu.

The big difference -- and danger -- from its development. Bird flu tends to cause much more severe breathing problems than ordinary flu, plus triggers a much more severe counteraction by your body's immune system.

This can result in a fever that's high enough to be dangerous in itself.

If you or your loved one develops a high fever and/or difficulty breathing, definately see a doctor as soon as possible. Or any of the other symptoms associated with just bird flu. Whether you've got bird flu or not, you need professional medical care.

Last November 2005, a biotech company in Singapore named Rockeby announced that they'd come up with a quick test for bird flu.

According to WHO, their test is not proven yet. You can get more information on it from searching Google for Rockeby.

WHO has said they are working on a standard test for bird flu, but that has not come out yet. Until it does, they say the only recognized tests for bird flu must be done by their laboratories.

And of course, my final piece of advice should be obvious.

When there's an all-out pandemic of contagious bird flu anywhere in the world and you start feeling sick with the flu -- assume it is bird flu.

Treat yourself or your loved one accordingly. Get professional medical care.

Even if bird flu has not been reported in your country or your area, assume you've got it. A pandemic of contagious bird flu will make people ill in new areas before you hear about them on the news.

Besides, while ordinary flu is not dangerous for ordinary adults, it still kills 30-50,000 Americans every year and tens of thousands more people around the world -- so it's still a serious disease.

Whether you have bird flu or ordinary flu, treat yourself well, get proper medical care -- and do not attempt to go to work or anyplace besides a doctor.

Whatever virus you've got, do us all a favor and don't spread it around.

by Richard Stooker Richard discusses how to avoid bird flu in his book How to Protect Yourself and Your Family From Bird Flu -- And check out his Bird Flu Symptoms blog

Bird Flu True to Form? A Pandemic Scenario

Lee tried to stifle a sneeze but couldn???t. Invisible to the naked eye, a cloud of almost five thousand virus-filled droplets launched into the air at some 150 km/ hour or roughly 100 mph. Some passengers in the wide-body Airbus frowned. The Hong Kong to London flight was long and no one wanted to catch a cold.

Lee planned to fill every waking moment of his stay in London. A concert at the Millennium Dome, dinners at some of the finest hotels, shopping in crowded malls ??? ???What a chance,??? Lee thought. All he had to concentrate on was a few hours in front of the International Board. It was his job to present sales trends in China to the bosses who were also winging it towards Heathrow, one of the world???s busiest airports. ???The global executives will get only good news from me,??? figured Lee. ???Pity I don???t feel better ??????

The Diagnosis

Lee was exhausted. He had a cough, scratchy throat, runny nose and muscle aches. A fever started but it wasn???t until Lee began having difficulties breathing that he decided to get help.

Doctors huddled in subdued discussion. Experts were rushed in. It was finally determined that Lee???s body was fighting strenuously against two viruses. Lee had caught a highly infectious Influenza A virus ??? a flu bug. However, at much the same time he had also picked up a second virus called H5N1. The two viruses had mixed their genes and formed a hybrid. Since this was now a radically new pathogen, Lee had no immunity to it.

Lee was not the only one in this fight. Infected passengers from Lee???s plane from Hong Kong had connecting flights to major cities in most continents. The global executives Lee had addressed at the office had also flown home diseased. Sadly, some of the medical staff where Lee was diagnosed had also caught it not to mention the crowds Lee had interacted with at concerts, restaurants and on shopping sprees. The so-called Bird Flu or Avian Influenza had indeed spread its wings. It was the start of the first flu pandemic of the 21st century.

The News

Had Lee or any of the others known in time, they would have taken anti-viral drugs hoping to block or at least slow down the replication of the virus. At least the severity of some symptoms might have been eased not to mention a reduction in the duration of sickness. But time had run out - anti-viral medication needed to be taken within 48 hours of the first stages of the disease.

It wasn???t long before Lee was put on a respirator in quarantine. It also wasn???t long before the media found out Lee had Bird Flu. The public became nervous. The number of flu patients ??? real or imaginary ??? multiplied dramatically but nurses and hospital staff were strangely missing ??? using overdue holiday time or just not showing up for work at all. It was announced that schools, restaurants, and non-essential businesses would be closed. No deadline was given ??? no one knew for sure how long the measures would have to be in place.

The Public Announcement

Wisely, the public was advised to stock up on food and water. Newspapers advised people to stock up on toothpaste, toilet paper and treasure (cash). People were told to shop at off-peak hours and public transport was ordered to run 24 hours per day. But despite warnings to the contrary, doctor???s offices, hospitals and clinics were overrun. Faces masked in paper waited for hours in front of pharmacies in hope of getting relief. Despite clear instructions from health officials, panic broke out as folk finally fathomed that at best only one third of the population had access to anti-viral drugs. In rural areas and smaller towns, there wasn???t any chance at all.

The Short-term Havoc

Rumors and half-truths began to circulate causing public outcry and protests. Because the protests only helped spread the flu, quarantines were set in place. The public was told to stay at home indefinitely. Vibrant cities screeched to a halt as public transport shut down. Streets stank as garbage piled up. Shops were looted and in some cases those caught coughing were stoned. Safety services (fire, police, ambulance) were disrupted, fires burned out of control. Cross-border travel was curtailed killing tourism and all international sports events were cancelled. Food imports were banned creating shortages of meat, vegetables and wheat. Folk with chronic medical illnesses couldn???t get their medications. Soap and disinfectants ??? perhaps the simplest and most effective fight against the spread of disease ??? were in short supply; no one had thought to stock-pile soap.

The Controversy

Local governments and health organizations began to squabble over who had the power to do what. The question was of legalities: who would control distribution of anti-viral drugs and who would receive those drugs? Army barracks received attention but prisoners were ignored. Families with pets were labeled as ???higher risk??? groups but no-one knew if these families should receive more help or less. As in-fighting became more severe, decision processing became more difficult. Who should give the daily press briefings? Who would organize mass cremation? Who would facilitate conferences for global medical meetings? The list grew rapidly.

The Waves

The first wave of the pandemic was over in three months time but not the shock. Bacterial disease such as cholera multiplied rapidly with catastrophic results across Africa and Asia. The longer-term, global recession began with the realization that supply-lines, manufacturing and food-production chains were desperately weakened through labor loss. Medical facilities were terribly understaffed. As usual, the poor had little chance of aid at all. And then came the second wave of Avian flu. It took over a year before the waves of sickness and death became controllable.

Lee actually survived it all. Although he ???started??? the pandemic, he also helped ???end??? it. Doctors used his blood to find the initial vaccine. Since Lee was also now immune, he not only volunteered to help where he could and also founded the World Association of Sensible Hygiene (WASH). More importantly, Lee and others like him helped disrupted societies regain their faith and hope and love. Since this was pandemic number 11 in the last 300 years, history had taught that it was inevitable that individuals and communities and countries would bounce back fairly quickly. But a bitter question remained. Would Lee and the rest of the world be better prepared for the next pandemic? Lee wondered that too as he bordered the wide-body Airbus destined for Mexico City.