Bird Flu

The recent growth of bird flu cases popping up around the globe has triggered a world wide concern to prevent the spreading of this lethal disease.

Firstly, avian flu or bird flu caused by the H5N1 virus is a very common affliction with wild birds. Although they are only carriers without being affected by the infection, the disease is deadly for domestic poultry and humans.

Furthermore, the increased number of people affected by avian flu and its high mortality rate prove that the H5N1 virus has the power to mutate and redevelop its structure. The virus can be detected in the saliva and nasal secretions of birds. The possibility of new strains being developed is more likely to happen in under-privileged communities where people live in close quarters with poultry. For example, sharing the same water between various types of domesticated animals can determine animal-to-animal transmission and even more drastically animal-to-human transmission.

Additionaly, even the common flu virus manifests a permanent antigenic shift. For this reason, the vaccines must be constantly updated to be able to fight-back the newest strains of the virus. Until now there have been detected three types of influenza viruses: A, B and C, the former being the most dangerous to humans.

Moreover, immunity deficiency against avian flu can generate a world wide pandemic. Even more the virus does not respond to Amantadine (drugs used to treat flu). Among the manifestations of the infection are: fever, sore throat, muscle aches, headaches, lethargy, conjunctivitis (eye infections), chest pains and breathing problems. Death occurs because of respiratory illnesses in no more than weeks after contacting the infection. The cases of avian flu affecting humans have provoked the killing of millions of domestic birds in South-East Asia in a desperate try to prevent the further spread of the virus.

All in all, the possibility of the H5N1 virus to cause a flu pandemic has put scientists on a tight race to protect human existence by creating an efficient vaccine against this dreadful disease.

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

Scientists finally create an effective vaccine against Bird flu virus

So far, the public health authorities have been in a continuous alert due to the presence of H5N1, the bird flu virus which affected Asia and infected about 100 humans in the past 18 months, half of the victims not surviving the virus attack. Scientists worry about a possible global pandemic, and so they have been trying to develop an effective vaccine against H5N1. Until now millions of birds were slaughtered in Asia in the attempt of stopping the virus from transmitting itself to animals and humans.

After a long wait, yesterday, a federal health spokesman said that the scientists have finally created an effective vaccine against a strain of the flu virus that is considered to be a possible spark for the beginning of a global pandemic.

The vaccine has been tested on 133 volunteers within a study conducted by US universities, and has proved to be efficient, providing a powerful weapon against the flu virus.

The study has been conducted at the University of Maryland at Baltimore, the University of Rochester in New York and the University of California at Los Angeles.

The conclusions of the study were that two doses of the vaccine are enough to produce the right immunization to neutralize the virus.

Also, a British company is working to produce an effective bird flu vaccine.

The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Anthony S. Fauci declared to be very enthusiastic about the new vaccine and its immunizing properties, also declaring that he considers the tests to be a key step in the world's attempt to stop a possible global pandemic.

Another scientist, Michael T. Osterholm of the University of Minnesota was very relieved when hearing about the success registered by the new vaccine when tested, and declare that he was worried about the fact that two doses of the vaccine might not have been working, that constituting a real problem for the researchers.

More testing will be needed before the vaccine will be ready to be mass produced, and also a method of distributing large quantities will have to be designed.

Scientists are positive that in case of a global pandemic a lot of people will be left unvaccinated due to the existent lacks in the health system, because it is not easy to produce and distribute the vaccine effectively in a short time.

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

General Information on Bird Flu

Bird flu is a disease caused by type "A" influenza viruses.

Wild birds are a natural reservoir of type A of flu virus, but they are not affected by it. They can infect domestic birds such as chicken or turkey, which get ill and die.

Birds get infected if they get in contact with secretions or excretions of the affected birds, with contaminated water or food and even with contaminated surfaces (dirt and cages). The avian influenza viruses can cause a mild form of the disease that does not kill the infected birds, and it only reduces the egg production, and a highly virulent form that can lead to death within 48 hours by multiple internal organ lesions.

Type A of influenza virus has many different subtypes due to changes in some proteins situated on the surface of the A virus. These changeable proteins are Hemagglutinin (HA) and Neuraminidase (NA). There exist 16 known HA subtypes and 9 NA subtypes of "A" virus, but there are possible many combinations between HA and NA proteins, leading to new subtypes. All these subtypes can now be found in birds.

Until 1997 nobody knew that the virus can affect humans, but it has happened to those who have been in close contact with infected poultry. Until now, no cases of human to human transmission of the infection were registered.

Human influenza viruses generally refer to those subtypes that can infect only humans. There are known to exist three "A" subtypes of human influenza viruses (H1N1, H1N2, and H3N2). There is the possibility that these subtypes to have came from birds originally and scientists worry about the possibility that the bird flu viruses to mutate and transmit from human to human.

Some symptoms of bird flu infection on humans are: fever, lethargy, sore throat, breathing problems, conjunctivitis, muscle aches and cough.

Studies suggest that antiviral drugs used against human influenza might be useful in treating bird flu infection in humans too, but this thing must be studied more.

The H5N1 virus is one of the most lethal subtypes of the influenza "A" virus. In the last few years, in Asia, H5N1 caused millions of deaths among domestic birds and hundreds among humans. People got infected because they got in close contact with the infected poultry and the contaminated surfaces, but otherwise H5N1 remains a rare disease in people and does not spread from human to human.

There was one case in Indonesia where a family member is suspected to have transmitted the illness to the other members, but this fact has not been sustained scientifically.

Scientists are concerned about a possible mutation of the virus, leading to a global pandemic, similar to the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-1919 when 40-50 million people died.

Doctors have discovered that H5N1 virus is resistant amantadine and rimantadine, two antiviral drugs used for treating human influenza. There remain oseltamavir and zanamavir to be tested.

A H5N1 vaccine is being tested and the results seem to be promising, this leading to an absolute control over the bird flu and even to its eradication.

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

The Bird Flu: Protecting Yourself

The bird flu is another name for the Avian flu, which is a flu that could wipe out large amounts of people around the world. This flu is quite unique over the other types of flu that are usually the ones that people get. This flu, which currently has not made the leap that it must make in order to be deadly, can be something of a large worry to those that are ill. You see, the bird flu is one of the most deadly flues in animals. To this point, the mortality rate of any animal that has gotten the bird flu has been 100 percent. The fear is that if the bird flu makes its move so that it can move from one person to the next person that these high rates of mortality will happen in the human population too.

The question is, then, what can you do to help protect yourself about the bird flu, or any flu for that matter? You should use the same approach for all flu type illness. Although the bird flu has only killed a handful of people around the world, the standard types of flu that are out there every year kill some 130,000 Americans each year. Here are some things you can do to help improve your lifestyle so that you can avoid the bird flu.

* Use good sanitary cleanliness. For example, wash your hands before touching your eyes, mouth and before eating. Teaching children how to prevent germs from moving from one person to the next is also quite important. * Use an air purifier. These units can help to pull out the bacteria and other germs lurking in the air that ends up leading to these conditions. * Stay in touch, but stay home. Those that stay home from school and work when they are ill are less likely to spread the condition to others.

All of these things, as well as common sense, can help you to avoid the bird flu or any other flu that will make you ill.

Kerry Rodden is an expert on air purifiers, and has written many articles on air purifiers, fans, vacuum cleaners, air fresheners and a lot more.

You can read more of Kerry's articles about air purifiers at http://www.lowplaces.net

The Blessings Bird Flu Can Bring Us - if We're Smart

Not long ago, I read an article about alternative health where someone with a serious disease was counseled to look upon it as a "blessing."

Your first reaction is probably the same as mine was -- what a stupid idea! How can cancer or heart disease be a blessing?

First off, let me say that I do believe that humanity's greatest strength is the ability to persevere in the face of problems and to turn negatives into positives -- lemons into lemonade.

So if you believe, as alternative health advocates do, that you do have some control over your health -- then any disease indicates that you need to make some kind of change in your life.

That may be a change in diet, reducing stress, etc. -- but if you can learn the lesson before the "teacher" disease kills you, you'll be healthier for having had the problem.

As I write, over 150 people have died from bird flu from Indonesia to Turkey -- to alert humanity to the danger it's facing. We cannot raise them from the dead, but we can attempt to give meaning to their death by learning how to prevent more, and thereby making bird flu a blessing for survivors and our children.

The first step was taken about 1 year ago by President George W. Bush. As part of his request to Congress for 7 billion dollars to fight bird flu, he wants to advance the technology of making vaccines so that they can be created and manufactured more quickly.

Companies around the world are working on a "generic" influenza vaccine that will prepare our immune systems to protect us from all influenza viruses no matter how much they mutate in the future.

Those of us who live in the developed world must stop being so complacent.

Because long after bird flu is a boring chapter in history, we will be threatened by new diseases.

Most Americans have heard of Ebola, but are not aware of the many other emerging diseases we have discovered in the past 20 to 30 years. It's a long and scary list.

And although they all seem remote from us, they're all just one international jet flight away. They're no more remote than West Nile fever was before it started killing birds and people in Brooklyn in 1999.

We need to take care of our immune systems.

We need to better track viral infections in people. The developed world needs to make its expertise and resources available, and the developing world needs to make public healthcare and a medical infrastructure a higher priority.

The U.S. Center for Disease Control has done a terrific job at this for many years. It needs to expand its operations, the UN World Health Organization needs to expand and national health systems around the world need to do a better job of tracking and controlling disease threats.

We need to do a much better job of incorporating alternative health methods into standard medical care.

We need to stop counting on Tamiflu and start expanding the use of Vitamin C (especially injected ascorbate for serious illnesses), curcumin, garlic, beta glucans and other supplements from mushrooms . . . for starters.

For poor countries it makes economic sense to make use of regional herbs and supplements over expensive drugs such as Tamiflu.

Also, a massive demand for effective herbs and substances should spur farmers in the developing world to raise those herbs in a sustainable fashion.

This would encourage good use of land and also bring cash income to the poor farmers, everybody else involved in the processing and shipping of the supplements and their communities.

The human race has survived and prospered by learning from its mistakes. A lot of people are going to die for the lessons we learn from the bird flu pandemic -- let's learn and apply as many of those lessons as possible.

We owe that to the dead and to our children.

c 2006 by Richard Stooker Richard shows you how to avoid avian bird flu in How to Protect Yourself and Your Family From Asian Bird Flu -- And check out his Asian Bird Flu blog

Bird Flu Hits Close To Home What Then?

When the first outbreak of H5N1 was found on the tourist island of R?gen in Germany the country took action. Here's a look at how Germany reacted.

January 2006: more and more carcasses from birds were being found in Eastern Germany. The Parks Board reckoned that was normal during a long and relatively hard winter.

14 February: a tourist reported finding four dead swans on the east coast island of R?gen. A quick test indicated this could be H5N1, Avian Influenza (Bird Flu). Later that was confirmed.

15 February: More dead birds were found. All domestic birds were immediately required to be in stalls. Government officials called an emergency meeting.

16 February: It?s official! H5N1 is the cause of death of more and more birds on the island of R?gen.

17 February: Country-wide birds are required to be in stalls or under protective cover. All hens, ducks, geese and turkeys must be in stalls. Politicians discuss ways to better or refine their action plan.

18 February: The Island of R?gen is placed under alarm. That means a security zone of 3 kilometers (2 miles) around the dead birds is in place and 10 km (6 miles) zone of observation is put in place. All cars, trucks and buses are disinfected and the selling of birds is stopped. All birds within the 3 km security zone are disinfected. Locals are asked to immediately report to the police, fire or veterinarian clinics any dead animals. They are told not to touch any bird, just to report it.

19 February: Dead birds are now found on the German mainland.

20 February: The whole east-coast of Germany is put under alarm and all counties of Germany were getting themselves prepared.

In the mean time, fire-fighters, soldiers, experts and even volunteers are on the island of R?gen. Some are in masks, some are in full-protective suits to disinfect while others simply are there to watch and report on birds and answer questions of the locals. 1,280 protective masks were brought in, 1,550 disposable protective suits and 150 non-disposable suits, 1,200 safety glasses, 1,150 pair of rubber boots, 1,700 pair protective gloves and 1000 liters of disinfectant. Around the zone a further 11,780 masks, 11,560 disposable suits, 10,072 protective goggles, 9,140 pairs of boots and another 5,000 liters of disinfectant were brought into reserve not to mention 39 special epidemic cots. By now there were 370 people there to help.

The moral of this story? First, don?t panic. When H5N1 Avian Influenza breaks out, there is much which can be done. Tests are getting better and faster for dead animals and as more and more countries are affected, so too is the reaction process checked and re-checked. Note at the beginning it was a tourist who reported the dead swans. Your responsibility is to keep a watch out and report anything strange ? such as four or five dead birds together. Also noteworthy is the reaction of the people in Germany. There was no panic ? remember that this is an ongoing battle ? and there was lots of help. Although the Minister of Agriculture Dr. Till Backhaus had hoped for even a faster response time, there is no doubt that this was well handled. It was also an excellent example for other countries when Bird flu hits close to home.

Paul Madrid is a minister and author of several publications and web sites including http://www.xodigo.com "H5N1, avian (bird) flu and you."

How Do Humans Become Infected With Bird Flu

The infection process with bird flu is not particularly complicated. As with other strains of influenza, the virus itself is passed from host to host, although bird flu is not transmitted from human contact like other strains of the flu. However, people should still be knowledgeable of how bird flu is contracted to avoid it as much as possible.

Currently, the primary way humans become infected with the disease is through contact with infected animals or their feces. The virus is transmitted through bodily excretions, such as saliva, nasal secretions, and feces or through contact with contaminated surfaces. In many of the regions where outbreaks have occurred, people, poultry and pigs live in very close contact, therefore, increasing the likelihood of transmitting the disease.

Especially in agricultural arenas, virus transmission occurs more frequently to humans. The reason for this is the necessity of handling fowl for feeding, medical care, and slaughter. People will often handle birds and not properly sanitize their hands and clothing afterward. Also, because fowl are usually kept in small areas for farming purposes, the disease spreads easily and feces accumulates quickly, also increasing human contact with potentially dangerous excretions. The virus lives on contaminated surfaces for several days, which also increases infection probability.

Another way of infection is by ingesting infected poultry that was not cooked properly. It is always suggested to fully cook any meat you are preparing for yourself or your family to eliminate bacteria and harmful viruses. When cooking poultry, you should cook the meat to a temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit or 74 degrees Celsius to ensure its safety. Especially in the cases of infection in children, ingesting contaminated food is believed to be the primary cause because children handling fowl is considerably less common in the areas where outbreaks have occurred. This is of particular concern as children have a higher mortality rate than adults. As with most infectious diseases, it has more of a negative effect of the weak: the very young and very old.

With time, people fear the virus will mutate to a form transmittable from human to human. If this occurs, infection will occur as with the regular flu strain. The virus will spread through saliva and mucus contact through sneezing, coughing, or breathing in close vicinity of others. With mutation, the virus will spread with much more ease through human populations, possibly causes massive illness and death.

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