Understand the Bird Flu Symptoms to Fight Against Bird Flu

One of the latest fears around the World is the outbreak of bird flu. Bird flu has been spreading around countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, and China. Now, this virus is rapidly spreading to more countries such as Japan, Korea, and recently, to European countries. It is important for individuals to be aware of this issue and understand the bird flu symptoms in order for one to take measures immediately and prevent the virus from spreading further.

The recorded bird flu symptoms among humans include fever, cough, sore throat, muscle pains and conjunctivitis. Other kinds of complications for people who contracted these illnesses include eye infections and acute respiratory distress. The most fearsome effect of the bird flu on humans are breathing disorders, such as pneumonia, and other severely life threatening complications that may eventually lead to death.

Since this condition is very dangerous, bird flu preparation is the key needed to prevent this life threatening disease from becoming a full-blown flu pandemic. People around the world need to be equipped with the basic awareness of the disease, such as understanding bird flu symptoms and how to prevent it, and should communicate and cooperate in the worldwide pursuit of ending the chain of bird flu victims.

What are the necessary things to do to prevent bird flu infection? How would you know if the person around you is suffering from this rare disease? What symptoms are they showing when one is affected by this condition? What should you do if you suspect a family member has avian flu? These are just among the many questions that you should know of the answer.

Prevention is definitely the most important thing in this battle. There might unfortunately be a very slim chance for cure when you are already infected by the disease. That is why prevention is so important.

The first preventive step in fighting off avian flu is for a person to wear a bird flu mask, especially if he or she will be exposed to fowl for longer than usual, such as those people who are working in a veterinary clinic, pet shops or poultry farms, or one who has already showed some bird flu symptoms. Some bird flu masks are equipped with nano-particles that are proven to be highly effective in eliminating viruses and bacteria. These masks (which are usually disposable) effectively isolate and destroy bacteria and viruses, thus preventing their unwelcome entrance to the human body.

Bird flu infestation has been a big threat to animals and humans as well. We have to give our sustained effort to fight off this influenza, especially since it has been reported to be evolving fast into becoming a highly contagious disease. Be sure to take action immediately, either by called for medical help or isolation till medical help arrives, when you notice bird flu symptoms. In doing so, you can help to prevent this deadly virus from spreading further.

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Christopher Wen is the webmaster for greenHealth information site where he provides articles, news, and remedies to current health issues we faced in our everyday life. Check out his blog at http://greenhealthinformation.com

Bird Flu Threat Case In Europe

Why the health authorities are too scary about this virus H5N1?

It reminds some of the health researchers and scientists about the Black Death (Bubonic Plague) that broke out in China in 1300 and quickly spread to Europe. The death toll soon was in millions.

The scientists fear that this virus H5N1 has similar potentialities. However, the beginning of the devastation created by this virus is humble. The total death toll since its emergence is just 200! For the present, the rate of annihilation is slightly over 50% of the total persons affected.

For the Bubonic Plague, the carriers were the rats. For the bird flu, it is birds. The rats traveled in boats that carried the cargo from one country to another. Birds do it without the services of boats or jets. They are capable of flying from one country to another and now they show their damage capacity.

Having suffered the devastating Plague, why Europe is now worried is...this bird flu virus mutates at a fast rate! It hardly takes few months to develop itself in to a new virus, and the medical research is unable to catch up the virus in this marathon.

The true nature of these viruses is nothing but a guessing game. H5N1 is a deadly virus, and wants the return of at least 50% of the human beings that it attacks!

So, the bird flu has become the prize-coverage and the news related to it is given in the front page columns. The researchers see the latent threat in those fast multiplying and dividing viruses of bird flu.

The African, European and Asian countries could be the hotbeds for this disease. Will the bird-flu dance the death dance here? Some of the countries are in the process of conducting the mock-exercises, to tackle the eventuality of bird-flu. Those who are not much informed about the sequences and consequences of this disease do collect some introductory information about these viruses.

The European countries are well versed in wars. After having suffered the death and devastation in two major World Wars, the health authorities of these nations are now tuning themselves to face this weaponless war!

This recent outbreak of the bird flu has taken the scientists and the researchers in Europe scurrying for the panic buttons. A decade ago, very few knew what this bird flu was. Now, the economists, scientists and the politicians are all worried about it. World Health Organization has given the top priority to devise ways and means to tackle this disease.

And finally, Bill Gates opens the gates to sanction additional grants in the cause of preventing the bird-flu!

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Can You List Symptoms Of Bird Flu Pandemic?

Bird flu is creating a wide spread pandemic in the South East Asian countries. More so, the possibility of it being spread to other parts of the world cannot be neglected. The virus responsible for more than hundreds of deaths has been detected as the H5N1 virus, a subtype of Influenza-A virus. This has been the most deadly bird flu virus till date, since the bird flu generally doesn't attack human beings.

The reports of the symptoms of the avian flu have been submitted to WHO (World Health Organization) and CDC (Center Disease Control). They are similar to SARS but not completely similar. And the interesting fact is that the symptoms sometimes vary from person to person and its totally different in birds. The onset of the virus attack is mostly ignored. So You need to be extra cautious with it. For it never alarms before an outbreak. It's possible to reach any corner of the world since the migratory birds are main carriers of the pathogen.

Before the virus infests the humans, there is the possibility of it raging the poultry. If you observe any of the following symptoms among the poultry folks, there might be the possibility of the H5N1 virus being in action.

If the attack of the virus is less pathogenic then there will be no visible signs and the attack is not fatal enough. The high pathogenic attack has clear symptoms and is quite destructive:

1. Depression in some of the birds. 2. Cessation in laying eggs. 3. Loss of appetite and nervousness. 4. The combs and wattles turn blue in color due to altercation of blood circulation. 5. Coughing and frequent nasal discharge and diarrhea. 6. Sudden death of a number of them without any signs may also be the symptom of bird flu.

The reports based on the observations of the human beings attacked by bird flu have established that the human symptoms are somewhat similar to normal human flu but the impact is more rigorous. The symptoms of bird flu reported in humans are:

1) Sudden attack of suspicious coughing. Generally, we can trace why we catch a cold and cough when the reasons are like exposure to too much cold or taking lot of ice cream and alike. But, here it won't have such particular reason. 2) Mild fever prolonging for hours. 3) Having soreness of throat. 4) Gradual shift to pneumonia. 5) Feeling moderate or severe malaise and fatigue. 6) Muscle pain. 7) Sometimes, conjunctivitis may also occur. 8) Respiratory problems like difficulty in breathing. 9) Very frequent sneezing with lot of mucous coming out.

If you find some of these symptoms in you, don't waste time and visit a doctor, the sooner you start with the treatment, the faster you relieve! Don't break down if you have positive results. It's easy to treat. Thats why, be extra cautious of these symptoms.

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How Many People Would a Bird Flu Pandemic Kill

You see a lot of wild and crazy estimates for this. Yet, the truth is, there's no simple answer. It depends on a lot of things -- and the most important factors are still unknown.

First of all, I don't put any stock in the simplistic estimates that are based on 1918. We're living in a much different world. H5N1 is a different virus.

Some estimates are based on more sophisticated mathematical models. The only problem is, right now critical variables are still unknown.

First variable is known as the lethality rate. That is, what percentage of infected people will bird flu kill?

Right now, based on known victims, it's consistently killing 55% of victims. However, the numbers of patients are still quite small, so that may not be statistically accurate. Plus, many of those patients are receiving good medical care. It may kill a higher percentage of those who don't make it to hospitals.

It's also true that we probably don't know the true number of infected people. Just a few days ago Indonesia announced that it just learned that a little girl who died there last year had bird flu, even though several of her family members were known to have died of it.

If a relatively advanced country isn't getting around to testing an obviously suspect child patient until 8 months after her death -- what's happening in sub-Saharan Africa?

How many more victims are going undetected? That's unknown. On the bright side, it's possible that some or many victims are recovering without being tested so the actual lethality rate might be lower than we think.

If and when H5N1 mutates into a highly contagious form, its lethality rate could go lower. Until it actually happens, we just don't know.

But it is frightening to compare H5N1 to the 1918 flu, because the 1918 flu had a lethality rate of 2.5% -- so if contagious bird flu retains anything like its current apparent lethality rate, it could be much deadlier than 1918 flu. Which would make comparisons between them way over-optimistic.

To measure the spread of a disease, scientists use the contagion rate.

This is -- how many other people on average does one infected person spread the flu to?

Partly this is based on the virus itself, so we just can't know this until it does mutate. However, right now H5N1 is a tough virus -- it can survive for hours outside a human body and in water. This means that you could be infected by an A/H5N1 virus left on a doorknob by someone who opened that door several hours before you.

Overall contagion rate must be affected by population density. Bird flu will infect more people in a crowded Calcutta slum than in rural Wyoming.

And here's a great difference between now and 1918. The world's population is over 6 times higher. But since some areas of the world are so densely crowded, it's possible that chicken flu would spread through them very quickly and kill even more than 6 times as many people as in 1918.

Plus, in 1918 various areas of the world defended themselves by closing themselves off from the outside world. Some places can still do this, but most of the world is much less self-sufficient. Unless you're on an island that supplies its own food and water, you can't isolate yourself from other people.

And even if you can -- there's still the risk of contagion from animals. So your island better not be under a duck migration route. Because duck manure does contain the active virus.

Plus, the world's population may be more susceptible to infection than in 1918. Everybody infected with HIV is at risk, for example.

Bird flu would likely travel around the world more quickly today because we have much more international travel. We go places by jet instead of steam ships.

There's another advance in transportation -- not usually mentioned -- which will affect transmission of bird flu: the automobile. Only a very few people in 1918 had cars, and there was no system of highways.

Now cars and highways connect the entire developed world. And are common and widespread in the developing world.

Of course, riding alone in a car during a lethal flu pandemic is safer than riding in a bus, train or other mass transit vehicle with many other people. Yet if you're the one infected, a car can help you spread the virus farther and faster than you could have in 1918.

There's another risk of death the world's population faces from A/H5N1, which is not being addressed.

That's the risk of the consequences of the pandemic.

If the pandemic causes many deaths the world's economy will be disrupted.

There'll be shortages of food, water, medicine, energy and other necessities. This could last for a year or more, if agriculture is greatly affected.

In many places there's likely to be problems with both law and order and civil unrest.

In a pandemic of any significant seriousness there will be deaths caused by a large number of various groups seeking to take advantage of the situation: ordinary criminals, terrorists, organized crime, renegade groups of soldiers and police, ethnic/racial hate groups, political/religious extremists of all stripes -- and just any old mob looking to loot and kill just because they can get away with it, or to scapegoat some other group for the pandemic.

In some cases there's bound to be organized armed battles and wars between countries and between competing groups within countries.

My personal belief is that there'll be great civil unrest but ultimately society as we know it will prevail -- though the world's map may change in many places.

With central governments weakened by deaths and lack of resources, many disaffected ethnic groups will seize the opportunity to become independent.

On the other hand, many ethnic majorities will seize the opportunity to blame ethnic minorities for the pandemic -- and kill them in riots.

The severity of events will likely fall somewhere between the temporary default of law and order in New Orleans during the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the total anarchy of Stephen King's novel THE STAND.

How can anybody predict the number of dead from these events?

c 2006 by Richard Stooker Richard discusses how to avoid the bird flu virus in his book How to Protect Yourself and Your Family From the Avian Bird Flu Virus -- And check out his Avian Bird Flu Virus blog

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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Why We Cannot Depend on a Vaccine to Save Us From Bird Flu

With current vaccine technology a vaccine cannot save us from a pandemic of contagious bird flu.

Although criticized as fearmongering, the ABC made for TV movie First Contact: Bird Flu in America was overly optimistic. Neither us nor the French nor anybody else is going to development and manufacture a vaccine within two months using the technology of the past 50 years.

First, work on a highly targeted vaccine against a specific strain of contagious bird flu cannot even begin until that specific strain of bird flu comes into existence.

Researchers are working on vaccines against current strains of H5N1, and these may have some effect on curbing a contagious strain, because they'd be similar, but not the same.

After getting samples of the contagious form of H5N1, the virus makers begin creating the vaccine from dead viruses. It must be tested for safety and approved for use in humans. This takes time.

After the vaccine is ready, doses of it must be produced. Each dose of the vaccine is grown inside one egg.

The entire process takes 6 to 8 months to produce ordinary winter flu shots. And we know from 2004 that sometimes batches of vaccine are contaminated, and there's a shortage of the ordinary flu vaccine.

Bird flu will create other problems. It's believed that people will need two doses of a vaccine against it for full protection. Therefore, to vaccinate everyone in the United States will require 600 million eggs.

Where will all those eggs come from? The world is destroying chickens by the millions now, to control the spread of H5N1 in the chickens. It could take months to come up with enough eggs to grow the vaccine doses in sufficient quantity to stop the spread of the pandemic just in the United States.

And of course the rest of the world will also be clamoring for the vaccine, and overseas companies will also be manufacturing it, using up all the eggs they have available.

Therefore, Health and Human Services head Michael Leavitt has said it would be six months before an effective and precisely target bird flu vaccine would be ready after the pandemic began.

And remember that the 1918 flu spread throughout the world and killed from 20 to 100 million people in the days before jets connected countries and four-lane highways connected cities within countries. People travel much more and much farther and much more quickly now than in 1918.

And yet the worst of the 1918 flu happened in just three months.

And remember also that H5N1 will remain a virus that mutates quickly. After it becomes highly contagious, it will not stop mutating.

By the time we've designed and approved a vaccine against the original contagious form of the virus, there'll be slightly different strains infecting people.

Six months later, the H5N1 virus will be much different than it was at the beginning of the pandemic.

Producing and distributing to millions of frightened people a vaccine that's precisely targeted toward the virus killing people right now is like shooting at a moving target.

Only we cannot guess where the target is going to go to next.

And it's moving faster than we can re-aim.

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

Bird Flu: The Threat of Animal to Human Transmission

When bird flu hit most Asian countries, it prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to urge China to test its wild birds, particularly geese that migrate from its waters during the harsh winter. The disease spread so fast from one bird to another that about 5,000 birds were killed in one season. People who have close or direct contact to infected poultry can contract the disease after coming in contact with bird secretions or feces.

Although many are divided on the possibility of direct human to human transmission of the virus, this possibility has not been ruled out. Viruses, in general, are known to mutate. In the case of bird flu, family members infected with it may show different severity of symptoms, prompting a misdiagnosis. Also, if a person who has the common flu becomes infected with bird flu at the same time, it can lead to the mutation of the bird flu virus.

At the University of Leicester in Great Britain, it was discovered that a full-blown bird flu pandemic could cause an 80% mortality rate. A team led by Karl Nicholson is developing the bird flu vaccine with the goal of decreasing the fatality should a fourth major pandemic occur. In the last century, there have been three recorded major pandemics: the Spanish Flu in 1918, the Asian Flu in 1957 and the Hong Kong Flu in 1968. In total, the three pandemics claimed at least 20 million people.

The bird flu virus, which can be transmitted through direct contact with a bird's infected saliva, nasal secretions and feces, can survive for up to a week at 22 degrees Celsius. At freezing temperatures, the virus can survive indefinitely. It is no surprise that the bird flu virus tends to last in colder climates and is pronounced to be almost as deadly as SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome). In addition to the transmission of the disease from the migration of wild birds traveling great distances, the disease is also spread when contaminated birds are exported and imported in the international market.

In terms of safety in food handling and preparation, a cooking temperature of about 70 degrees Celsius is enough to kill the bird flu virus. It is important, however, to avoid raw birds and other raw markets meats from being contaminated. Cook eggs properly and check that the yolks are not runny. The simple act of washing your hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling raw meats could spell the difference. Keep in mind that transmission of the bird flu virus to humans usually happens during the slaughtering process and handling of infected bird fluids. After slaughtering infected poultry, the virus typically stays in the intestinal and respiratory tracts, not in the meat itself. Cooking at right temperatures can help avoid the virus from spreading.

The symptoms of bird flu are very similar to human flu. However, the severity of a disease can sometimes give way to announcements of a pandemic, which can cause political issues. In Asia where the incidence and actual cases of human transmission of bird flu occurred, WHO and the United States immediately took precautionary measures. The British Medical Journal, on the other hand, declared that a pandemic is still far from happening.

No travel advisory has been issued restricting anyone from going to countries affected by bird flu although WHO has issued a warning to travelers. Travelers are advised against going to live poultry markets, getting close contact to any farms and having direct exposure to feathers, feces or droppings, eggs and poultry meat products. Travelers coming from afflicted countries are also not being screened. However, precautionary measures are in place, particularly in the media. Information is being disseminated in order to make people aware of the bird flu, its effects and what to do to avoid getting infected.

Viruses are constantly mutating and evolving. Health watchers, practitioners and scientists are concerned about this because if a pandemic occurs, there won't be enough time to prepare and develop a vaccine. They fear that we are once again on the brink of another major pandemic threat. However, with the strides being made by technology every day, hopefully the casualty won't be nearly as high as the casualty of the past three major pandemics that claimed at least 20 million lives worldwide.

Niall Cinneide publishes a news site, with reports and articles, about avian 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.

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

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.