Questions And Answers About Bird Flu (Avian Influenza)

Bird Flu is an infectious disease of birds that can also affect people. It can present mild or severe forms of illness. The only subtype that can cause severe illness to people is Influenza A /H5N1 virus, initially it affects chickens, ducks and other birds by the process of mutation they can become highly pathogenic. Because highly pathogenic viruses can survive for long periods in tissue, water and in the environment, especially when temperatures are low is transmitted very easily in chickens and other birds through direct contact with feces and secretions from infected birds, eggs, feed, water, cages equipment, vehicles and clothing. The virus is excreted orally and in feces 10 days if the bird survives. Domestic birds can get infected when they roam freely or share water supply with other birds. The virus may be transported from farm to farm with contaminated equipment, vehicles, feeds, cages, or clothing, especially shoes. Luckily, there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission and through cooked chicken meat. But particles of discharges with the bird avian flu inhaled in market, poultry, surfaces and aerosols are very dangerous.Avian influenza affects chickens and the poultry industry, recombined with the human influenza viruses form a totally new influenza virus to which people do not have protection that spreads in the population and that causes serious illness and death in humans.

Signs and symptoms of bird flu in chickens: Infection determines many symptoms from mild illnesses to highly contagious and severe epidemics. Among them a decline in activity and in egg production, facial swelling and bluish-violet colored combs and wattles, diarrhea, hemorrhages, paralysis, sudden deaths.

Signs and symptoms of bird flu in humans are similar to other influenza viruses: sore throat and cough, fever, muscle weakness and/or pain with complications such as: severe viral pneumonia, respiratory distress syndrome, multi- organ failure.

How to make a differential diagnostic between avian influenza, pneumonia or any other respiratory illness?

A laboratory and epidemiologic confirmation of the bird flu infection is needed and details required such as patient had direct or indirect contact with sick chickens or other birds.Treatments of bird flu are antiviral drugs, but some of these drugs are expensive and supplies are limited.

To prevent recombination of avian with the human influenza virus: is recommended a vaccine used against circulating strains in humans to those exposed to bird flu. Even better is recommended the prevention: to cease importating of live chickens and other poultry products from countries affected with bird flu, avoid contact of poultry with wild birds, proper hand washing and cleaning and disinfection procedures in poultries. Report to authorities any unusual death or illness of chickens other birds or humans. The rest of us should: wash hands with soap and water before and after handling chicken meat. Cook chicken well, not to let chickens roam freely, do not place chickens, ducks and pigs together in one area. Local Government Officials should: apprehend illegal trading of poultry, not allowing chickens to roam freely, correctly informate the community, advise public not to catch, get near or keep in captivity wild birds.

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Tamiflu-the only drug to stop bird flu

Bird flu or avian flu has been a great concern to the human population worldwide. We had so many reports of tragic deaths due to bird flu and shortage of limited drugs like Tamiflu all across the globe. Today we have Governments and the entire World Health Organization, Red Cross, and other international health organizations wanting to spend millions to eradicate the killer disease from the living planet.

Treatment of bird flu

Tamiflu is the main drug for the treatment of bird flu. Tamiflu can lessen the effects of bird flu and speed up recovery. Tamiflu can also minimize the effects of bird flu to the point that a patient may survive the virus when, without Tamiflu, the attack would have been fatal. Tamiflu is the only drug that is this effective against the bird flu virus.
To be as effective as possible, a course of Tamiflu should be started within 24 hours of bird flu being diagnosed. This point is very important; delays in starting treatment lessen the effectiveness of the drug.

There are a few other influenza antiviral medications such as amantadine, rimantadine, and zanamivir, which have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment and/or prevention of influenza including bird flu. Reports confirm that at times influenza virus strains can become resistant to one or more of these drugs, and thus the drugs may not always work. The bird flu influenza A (H5N1) viruses identified in human patients in Asia in 2004 and 2005 have been resistant to amantadine and rimantadine. Limited evidence suggests that some antiviral drugs, notably oseltamivir (commercially known as Tamiflu), can reduce the duration of viral replication and improve prospects of survival, provided they are administered within 48 hours following symptom onset.

Tamiflu dosage

In suspected cases, oseltamivir should be prescribed as soon as possible (ideally, within 48 hours following symptom onset) to maximize its therapeutic benefits. Currently recommended doses of oseltamivir for the treatment of influenza are contained in the product information at the manufacturer?s web site. The recommended dose of oseltamivir for the treatment of influenza, in adults and adolescents 13 years of age and older, is 150 mg per day, given as 75 mg twice a day for five days. Oseltamivir is not indicated for the treatment of children younger than one year of age. As the duration of viral replication may be prolonged in cases of H5N1 infection, clinicians should consider increasing the duration of treatment to seven to ten days in patients who are not showing a clinical response. In cases of severe infection with the H5N1 virus, clinicians may need to consider increasing the recommended daily dose or the duration of treatment, keeping in mind that doses above 300 mg per day are associated with increased side effects. In severely ill H5N1 patients or in H5N1 patients with severe gastrointestinal symptoms, drug absorption may be impaired.

Conclusion

Bird flu is not transmitted from one person to another. Individuals at risk are those are directly or indirectly exposed to sick chickens and other fowl. The government thereby advises travelers to countries affected with bird flu not to go to bird parks (aviaries), poultry farms or market where live poultry is sold. However, with the intervention of Tamiflu the infection toll of bird flu attacks have come down. The only reason of this is because Tamiflu treats flu at its source by attacking the virus that causes the flu, rather than simply masking symptoms.The author is an amateur writer focusing primarily on health related topics or on the health related research findings. For more information on Tamiflu, visit http://www.arrestflu.com

How's and Why's Of Bird Flu Attack

Bird flu attacked many Nations. How and why it actually happened no one knows! The speed with which it spread all over the world was a mystery and confusion confounded. With its universal ?influence? it crippled many, without the distinction of race, color and nationality.

This bird-flu has the capacity to make such a big kill, the casualties of World War I and II put together will be a kindergarten stuff before the possible number of deaths due to bird flu.

With the drugs, antibiotics and vaccines developed so far to combat bird flu having proved ineffective, the alternative is now to search whether the nature has in store some natural herbs. If they are there, how to make their effective use is another matter for the researchers and scientists.

Can the Governments do something for the people to provide a protective cover in such emergent situations? What could do they do during Hurricane Katrina? At the time of Tsunami? That was just a small fraction of the world that was affected. What if the whole world were to be engulfed in bird flu?

Many Nations are at present attacked by bird flu but the damage is limited. As of now, the disease is not transmitted from human to human. Millions of birds and fowl are culled and destroyed in a desperate effort to contain it. But the virus of bird flu is evolving and changing. Sooner or later it will not spare the human beings, why should it? And why should the Nature come to the rescue? Have you been kind to the nature? We continue to exploit it to the hilt! Less said the better about the treatment human beings mete out to the animal kingdom!

The answer to the specific question-how did bird flu happen, I know will draw blank responses from you. I don't blame you. Human history, for that matter human health history is full off such ambiguities. But the projections about the possible consequence of a mass attack of bird-flu will be catastrophic! None has the solution. Nature has varied methods of population control. And when it uses those methods, it uses them ruthlessly.

It is indeed a no-win win situation. The question would no more be how did bird flu happen, the question then would be why did bird flu happen??

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