United States Versus Bird Flu

Avian influenza, or bird flu as it is most commonly known, is a viral disease that has been ravishing Asia, as well as other countries, for more than two years now. Some choose to ignore the threat, but most health experts agree what we see now in the Eastern Hemisphere could be witnessed soon all across the world. Since the first outbreaks of bird flu recorded in late 2003, there have been more than 140 deaths world wide and entire poultry populations decimated. Some estimates claim a flu pandemic (world wide epidemic) could infect hundreds of millions and cause major social disruption.

With these worries in mind, the United States have closely followed the situation and with general fears that the disease could spread to their territory as well, federal and local authorities have been handed over a plan to prevent and be ready to deal with a possible avian influenza outbreak in the country. It is not clear if and when this will happen, but one can look to previous experiences and other events for clues as to how serious the threat really is for the American country.

Recent violent outbreaks in places such as Indonesia, which is now the world's most heavily hit country, counting 47 human victims, are now followed by discoveries of low pathogenic bird flu viruses in some spots in U.S. The first one to raise fears was the case of two wild swans living on a lake in the state of Michigan. Routine tests found traces of a mild form of bird flu virus on the birds. The announcement was made by a White House spokesman, with details being given afterwards by officials from the Agriculture and Interior Departments. While the news was given high importance, experts claim there is no reason for concern, as the virus in question is in no way related to the Asian form and is no threat to humans. More recently, wild mallard ducks from Queen Anne's County, Maryland, were found to carry the same pathogenic agent. The same reassurances were given by U.S. officials and although some people see this as a preview for possible bird flu outbreaks, health experts say mild and low pathogenic strains of avian influenza such as this one are common in the United States, as well as other countries. Since 1975, the low pathogenic strain of the H5N1 virus (the highly pathogenic form of which is causing high mortality in Asia) has been found on six other occasions on U.S. soil.

However, claims from other researchers warn that a more aggressive form of the disease could come to the American continent as early as this fall. Indeed, summer is a rather quiet period for the virus and the large number of cases in Asia during this time is due to the virus residing there for a long period of time. Come fall, large populations of wild fowl will cover thousands of miles on regular migratory paths. These birds are the natural carriers of the virus and are also quite resistant to it. Thus, they can carry the disease for great distances, without falling ill or succumbing to the disease and showing any signs of an infection. One particular reason for concern is the Alaskan territory. Its vicinity to the Asian continent makes it one of the possible points of entry for the disease. It is also a meeting place for water fowl, as wild birds from both Asia and America choose it as a feeding and nesting environment during the summer months. U.S. authorities have implemented a plan for the summer of 2006 which included the testing of more than 15,000 birds from 27 species in the region.

The program was extended to a nationwide level as you can read on www.bird-flu-center.com, as surveillance and constant testing is seen as an effective method of preparing for a possible outbreak of the disease. Biologists are set to test tens of thousands of birds. Locally, individual counties have also prepared pandemic plans and are carrying out drills for a worst case scenario. Hospitals are setting up special units for avian influenza patients, while schools and university campuses are also preparing. In the case of a pandemic, social disruption might force such institutions to close down, as they would be a suitable environment for the virus to spread. Another prevention measure used is banning poultry and poultry products imports from countries where avian flu has been found.

Although it is widely believed that some form of bird flu epidemic will eventually occur, there are those that play down the warnings. However, countries around the world choose to play the safety card and take prevention measures. Grim estimates say that if a pandemic occurs, it will kill 1.7 million Americans in the first year alone, as a vaccine takes months to produce after the start of an epidemic. On the other hand, we can still hope the disease will be contained and dealt with before before such an outcome is reached. It is, in the end, just a matter of wait and see.
George Velicu is the senior editor at Bird flu center and the man responsible for making the website one of the most comprehensive sources for avian influenza information on the internet.He is also the one keeping a daily record of bird flu's developments.

Some Knowledge About Bird Flu

What is Bird Flu?

Avian influenza (also known as bird flu) is a type of influenza virulent in birds. It was first identified in Italy in the early 1900s and is now known to exist worldwide.

What are the Symptoms?

Flu can cause fever, chills, headache, dry cough, runny or stuffy nose, sore throat, and muscle aches. Unlike other common respiratory infections such as the common cold, influenza can cause extreme fatigue lasting several days to more than a week. Although nausea, vomiting and diarrhea can sometimes accompany influenza infection, especially in children, gastrointestinal symptoms are rarely prominent. The illness that people often call "stomach flu" is not influenza.

*Spread from person to person.

Influenza is spread easily from person to person primarily when an infected person coughs or sneezes. After a person has been infected with the virus, symptoms usually appear within 2 to 4 days. The infection is considered often contagious for another 3 to 4 days after symptoms appear. Because of this, people used to think the flu was caused by the "influence of the stars and planets." In the 1500s, the Italians called the disease "influenza," their word for influence. Each year, an estimated 10 to 20 percent of the population contracts influenza.

Treating flu with drugs.

Antibiotics are not effective against flu viruses. However, there are two drugs-- amantadine and rimantadine--that can be used to treat some types of influenza infection. When taken within 48 hours after the onset of illness, these drugs can reduce the duration of fever and other symptoms and allows flu sufferers to return to their daily routines more quickly. Both of these drugs are only available by prescription.

Rimantadine is a derivative of the drug amantadine. Amantadine, however, is more likely to cause side effects such as lightheadedness and inability to sleep more often than does rimantadine.

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Recognizing Bird Flu Symptoms - What To Look For

We live in a marvelous time when technology has become man's servant. For the average person, everyday living has become more a matter of pressing buttons than a matter of hard physical labor. Meanwhile, advancements in technology have crossed the digital divide. There are far fewer barriers to communication now. Also, it is now possible to diagnose most serious diseases. In many cases we can even cure these diseases.

Some of these diseases can be fatal and spread quickly. One of the short-term outbreaks of recent history was SARS. One of the diseases not yet cured is HIV/AIDS. Bird flu, or avian influenza, is one of the diseases that medical science has targeted as likely to spread from human to human soon, unless a more effective immunization or other cure is discovered first.

A plain description of the bird flu threat

In very general terms, bird flu is an infection of a flu virus that originally spread among birds. Avian influenza viruses can spread around the globe because birds migrate great distances. These viruses are typically found in the bird's intestines. Many of these viruses do not cause severe symptoms in the birds. When birds are packed closely together, such as in poultry farms with chickens and turkeys, the avian influenza viruses spread very rapidly among them.

Bird flu crossing the species barrier into humans was first confirmed in Hong Kong in 1997. Since that time the World Health Organization (WHO) has worked with government and private health agencies around the world to try to monitor the disease. Many of these agencies are seeking remedies for human cases of the bird flu, while monitoring for any mutations in the disease that might lead to a spread among humans or change how the disease can be remedied.

There is currently little risk of bird flu for most people, as it requires close interaction with infected birds or bird feces. However, for those who have constant contact with birds, the risk becomes very high during outbreaks in local poultry. This is particularly true for the current strain of bird flu known as H5N1, or avian influenza A. The alarm was sounded around the end of 2003 when H5N1 infected poultry in several Asian countries led to several human infections. About half of those infected died.

Know the symptoms

Bird flu spreads by contact with an infected bird's saliva, nasal secretions, or feces. Other birds appear to have little resistance to the disease when they come in contact with the virus and are quickly infected. Hence the more closely birds interact the more quickly it spreads. Humans who interact with these birds without proper protective gear are also susceptible to the disease.

It is important to know the symptoms of bird flu so that you can respond quickly and appropriately if you see these symptoms. In birds the H5N1 strain can cause diarrhea, difficulty breathing, excessive shedding, and a swollen head. Of course if you're not a bird expert you're unlikely to be able to differentiate these symptoms from normal bird behavior, save the difficulty breathing. And you certainly won't note these symptoms unless you're up close to see the bird.

Some of the more general symptoms of bird flu are the same symptoms you'd likely see in any flu strain. These symptoms are cough, headache, fever, sore throat, chest pains, muscle aches, and lethargy. Some severe symptoms that may be an alarm for bird flu are pneumonia, eye infections, acute respiratory problems such as breathing difficulties, inflammation of the heart, and inflammation of the brain.

As noted, many of the symptoms of bird flu can be confused with a normal flu. Many of the other symptoms are hard for anyone but a trained health care worker to identify. However, if you have any reason to suspect these symptoms are present, you should seek immediate medical attention for the sake of the infected individual and everyone else who might become infected if H5N1 should make the human to human leap.

Niall Cinneide publishes a news site, with reports and articles about bird flu symptoms 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.

Bird Flu: A Historical Perspective

Recent outbreaks have put avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu disease, at the center stage of the global health community. From relative anonymity, the disease acquired notoriety for itself when it claimed more than fifty human lives. The deaths from bird flu disease are relatively small when compared to the number of deaths from other diseases. However, the possibility of a global pandemic is serious enough that deaths caused by bird flu warrant a closer examination and alarm.

Another pandemic waiting to happen

Officials at the World Health Organization (WHO) has said that the world is ripe for another influenza pandemic. An influenza pandemic occurs roughly every 30-40 years. The last influenza pandemic, which originated in Hong Kong in 1969, claimed 34,000 lives in the United States and even more in the Asian region. Although the viral subtype of the disease is still in circulation, the human body has already developed antibodies for it.

Historical precedence is not enough of a basis towards setting off global alarm bells. However, the patterns seen in the outbreaks point to the possibility of another influenza pandemic. There are an increasing number of cases wherein humans have been infected with the bird flu virus and the death toll from the disease is now more than 50.

One of the first signs of an impending pandemic is the crossing over of the disease from birds to humans. WHO is closely keeping its eye on the occurrence of a first case of human to human transmission of the bird flu virus. The human to human transmission of the disease will pose greater risks of infection to humans, which would effectively signal the start of a pandemic. To date, there are no recorded cases of bird flu being transmitted from an infected human to another.

To date, all human cases of bird flu were contracted by victims after having direct contact with infected animals and their secretions. However, the global health community is very much concerned because the bird flu virus mutates easily and is constantly evolving, and the first human to human transmission of the virus may just be around the corner.

Three global influenza pandemics: a brief history

Three major influenza pandemics have occurred: in 1918, 1957 and 1968. The first pandemic, the Spanish Flu of 1918-1919, had the highest mortality among the three pandemics. In less than a year, 20 to 40 million people died from the Spanish Flu, with over 50,000 lives claimed in the United States alone. Simultaneous outbreaks of the Spanish Flu were first detected in Europe and some parts of the United States. The infection spread to more areas through ships that traveled between the United States and Europe. Asia and Africa were eventually affected. The first wave of the pandemic was highly contagious although it was not deadly. The second wave, however, was deadly and occurred shortly in France, Sierra Leona and United States. It registered a ten-fold increase in mortality.

In 1957, a second pandemic occurred. Called the Asian Flu because it was first detected in Hong Kong and Singapore, it was much milder than the Spanish Flu, claiming between one and four million lives. When the second pandemic hit, the people were more prepared and knew what to expect. This was due largely to the world's experience with the first pandemic. The Asian Flu virus was soon isolated in Japanese and Singaporean laboratories. The findings helped the World Health Organization alert the world about the onset of a pandemic and vaccines were immediately produced and distributed.

The most recent influenza pandemic happened in 1968 and lasted for a year. Dubbed as the Hong Kong Flu, it was first detected in China and later spread to Hong Kong where it escalated at an alarming rate. Like the Asian Flu, the Hong Kong Flu claimed between one and four million lives. It reached Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States, particularly California.

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

Questions To Ask Your Employer Before A Bird Flu Pandemic

Bird flu? Have you heard of it? You have probably been hearing more about it in the news lately. What is it and why should you be worried about it? Avian influenza affects poultry and wild game birds. It has been mainly in Southeast Asia but is spreading to other countries. Since 2003 160 people worldwide have become ill and about 82 have died. It is deadly to poultry and can be lethal in humans as well. The people who have contacted bird flu have been in close contact with infected birds. At this time it is not transmitted by human-to-human contact. But scientists fear, and health experts agree, that it is only a matter of time that the virus will change into a form that can be easily passed from person to person. When that happens there will be an increased risk of a worldwide pandemic.

We will not have immunity to this form of the flu and it can be deadly. It may be similar to the 1918 flu that killed 40-50 million people around the world. If it starts to spread, life as we know it will change. Millions will become ill and millions will die around the world. This flu could last for months at a time and up to three years. More than likely schools and businesses would be closed, public events canceled, transportation shut down and travel severely limited. Meaning your only choice is to stay home with your family.

Your business or company may have anywhere from 30-60% of the employees out sick, or out to take care of ill family members.

A bird flu pandemic could last for weeks or months at a time. You may be out of work for several months. You may want to start taking some measures now so you are prepared for being out of work and loss of income.

You need to ask your employer how they will be handling a pandemic crisis. What will their policies be? How are they going to provide a healthy work environment so that it will minimize the spread of the flu? How is your health insurance? Does it need to be updated? Will they offer additional sick time or paid leave of absence? Can you get a wage or salary advance or partial advance? Who will fill in for you, if you are out sick or need to stay home with family members who are ill? Are your co-workers crossed trained? What happens if you need to stay home with your children because schools are closed? Can your business run with 50% of employees out sick? What happens if the business needs to shut down completely? How do they plan on communicating with employees who are at home? Are there options for working at home? What if you need to leave the area to go somewhere safer? Will you have a job when you return? These are the type of questions you need to start asking today before a bird flu pandemic.

You will want to make copies of your employment agreements, health and life insurance policies and other employee documents including investment plans, stock options and other benefits. If we enter a pandemic and you need to stay home and be out of work for several months, you may want to consider tapping into any investment plans to find available cash to carry you through. A global influenza pandemic will have catastrophic consequences worldwide that will affect your business, career, investments, home, family and community. Stay informed about the bird flu and start planning for a possible pandemic.

To stay up to date on avian influenza, bird flu and the h5n1 virus visit The Bird Flu Index http://www.birdfluindex.com Find links to bird flu websites, blogs, forums, official medical and government sites and full information about how the bird flu could turn into a global pandemic

The Basics Of Bird Flu

Bird flu or avian flu is an influenza virus type that normally infects birds. However, it can also infect other animals including pigs. Wild birds are natural hosts to the virus and normally don't get sick from it. But domestic animals such as chickens and turkeys could be severely affected. Humans, on the other hand, can be infected with influenza types A, B, and C.

Genetic changes and sharing can occur under certain circumstances. This could happen in crowded conditions where poultry, pigs, and people live in close quarters. This change could allow a virus to turn into more infectious to humans. This could also mean that the virus can more easily transmitted from person to person. This is precisely when a pandemic could break out.

The avian flu's jump to humans was first detected in 1997. Though there have been around 60 human deaths reported, they have been due to transmission from animals to humans. Migratory birds have been detected with the virus and these cannot be caught and killed - these birds have alreadd carried the virus to Europe and Africa. It is difficult to predict when the pandemic could break out - It all depends on when that genetic shift (from birds to humans) takes place.

For now, there has been no detection of this virus in the U.S. It is however possible for travelers to be infected, but most of cases in humans have been in those with closer contact to birds than a casual traveler has. Since the infection occurs via fecal-oral route, people are advised to reduce their risk while traveling by avoiding bird markets, zoos, and areas in parks, where there could be high concentrations of bird feces.

Countries that are the most vulnerable to this flu are Indonesia, Vietnam, and Cambodia, due to their high concentration of bird markets. Other areas include Thailand, China (south and north), Tibet, Kazakhstan, Russia and Mongolia.

Symptoms of bird flu in humans have ranged from typical flu-like symptoms (fever, cough, sore throat, muscle aches) to eye infections and pneumonia. If you feel you've been exposed, there are a couple of treatment recommendations available today that you may want to discuss with your doctor. Until these are tested in a pandemic, however, their true efficacy is unknown. There are currently no vaccines available, but many companies are working on them.

More information on Avian Flu and preventive measures can be had from Bird Flu Prevention

Key Differences Between Bird Flu And Other Flu Types

There are three types of influenza viruses: A, B, and C. Of these, type A is further classified into subtypes, H and N. Type A affects people and numerous animals, while B and C typically affect humans only. Each type varies in severity, with A being the most dangerous, then B, and C being the least severe.

Bird flu is of the A type of influenza virus, one of more severe types. While several subtypes and strains exist, H5N1 is the most widely known and feared form of bird flu.

One of the primary differences of bird flu and the other types of the influenza virus is the way it is transmitted. Other strains of the flu virus, common among humans, are passed from human to human through saliva and mucus. This is done through sneezing, coughing, or breathing on or near someone. H5N1, on the other hand, is only transmitted from poultry to humans, and is done so through direct contact with the animals or their feces.

Another difference between the regular flu virus and H5N1 is the availability of a vaccine. The regular flu has been an irritant to people for some time. As a result, steps were taken long ago to challenge the virus and lessen the impact it had on people. Every year, people go in droves to receive a flu vaccine to avoid the virus. However, a vaccine has not been developed for the mutated form of bird flu that is to come. The reason for this is multifaceted. One reason is the lengthy development process. H5N1 has been a serious threat to humans for less than two years, since the outbreak of the virus began in Vietnam in January of 2004. Therefore, there has not been significant time to research and create a vaccine for the virus. Also, little purpose lies in creating a vaccine for the current strain of H5N1, as the real threat will come when the virus mutates. A vaccine that is developed now will be useless when mutation occurs, at which point a vaccine will really be needed. So, the virus must first be allowed to mutate and only then can an effective vaccine be developed.

The other variation between bird flu and other flu strains is the severity of the symptoms. While symptoms of sneezing, coughing, sore throat and fever are similar, the symptoms easily become severe in cases of bird flu.

Sarah is an acclaimed writer on medical matters, and has written extensively on the subjects of Attention Deficit Disorder, Bird Flu and Crohn?s Disease. For more of her articles, go to http://www.imedicalvillage.com now. Click here now and read more of her articles.

Don't Count On A Bird Flu Vaccine, Count On A Nanomask

You've no doubt seen the news reports about Bird Flu, a deadly airborne virus. And you no doubt feel at risk and vulnerable.

A Bird Flu vaccine is months and months away from production, and production will be a problem since health officials believe it will take at least 1 year to make enough for all citizens. Even then, it may not be effective, since it was based on an earlier seed of the virus. Bird Flu, or H5N1, mutates rapidly. Today, Bird Flu is something entirely different than when it was first discovered.

But there is one, off-the-shelf, device that will protect you and your family against Bird Flu, SARS, and ordinary flu, right now. It's called NanoMask, manufactured by a company that originally was tasked to make a better biomask for our military troops.

Why is a filter mask the best tool you can have against Bird Flu? Because of its new nano-technology. A NanoMask isn't just an ordinary N95 mask like you see in hospitals or on construction sites.

N95 masks are not effective against any particulate, virus, or bacteria smaller than .3 microns, and thus a waste of money if you buy an N95 mask for the purpose of blocking H5N1 or any influenza virus. Even hospitals realize this and are now ordering NanoMasks.

Examine the table below showing virus sizes, so you can judge for yourself how effective the NanoMask is. The abbreviation nm means nanometer, which is one billionth of a meter. N95 can only filter out material greater in size than .3 microns, which equal to 300 nanometers.

Every virus you see in the table below is smaller than 300 nanometers, therefore, N95's are useless against these viruses.

Virus (Description) | Size

Bacteriophage (MS) | 220nm
Hepatitis | 24nm - 30nm
Adenovirus | 70nm HIV
(AIDS) | 80nm
Cytomegalovirus | 100nm
Orthomyxovirus | 120nm
Coronavirus (SARS) | 80nm - 160nm

According to Nelson Laboratories of Salt Lake City, an independent testing lab of such filters, Bacteriophage MS-2 is the recognized standard testing organism for many filters. Being one of the smallest used viruses at 20nm, it is able to give a higher challenge to the filter media.

NanoMask has been tested down to 27 nanometers or .027 microns. Good enough to stop H5N1, SARS, and other viruses listed in the Virus Size Table above, as well as ordinary influenza.

The unique design and enhanced facial seal allows the NanoMask to overcome the most critical failing of typical N95 masks: an inability to effectively seal against the face and filter inhaled and exhaled breath that will typically follow the path of least resistance - around the sides of the mask.

The president of Emergency Filtration, Doug Beplate, told this author that the primary reason NanoMasks are so successful in stopping viruses is their unique nanoparticle coating on each filter. Beplate said, "The nanoparticle coating joins with chlorine particles to achieve an arrest and eradication of undesirable agents." In other words, biohazardous particulates like H5N1 are not only blocked, but destroyed, thanks to the nanoparticle coating.

A traditional filter without the nanoparticle coating, like N95, would turn into a breeding ground for a virus or bacterial agent. Thus we caution you against using any N95 mask in a pandemic or epidemic, or even to stop ordinary colds.

We cannot stress enough the importance of ordering NanoMask right now, before H5N1 or any other pandemic strikes. It's saving lives in Asia right now. More than 2 million Asians are wearing NanoMasks.

Of all the methods available to protect your family, such as antivirals, vaccines, herbs, etc., a NanoMask is the least costly in terms of time and money, and probably the most effective. Don't get caught off guard by a U.S. transportation strike or postal strike, or a thin supply. And don't count on a vaccine, or Tamiflu. Count on NanoMask, it's available right now.

About the author:
John Hart is a science writer, and the author of the popular eBook "How to Protect Your Family Against the Coming Pandemic," available at http://www.urgentebooks.comMr. Hart is also a distributor of NanoMasks at http://www.buynanomask.comA free copy of his eBook comes with each NanoMask order.