Is A Bird Flu Vaccine Really Effective

Bird flu is still a hot subject at the World Health Organization meetings, due to the fact that is still considered a threat for humanity.

Scientists believe that the H5N1 virus could mutate and then transmit from human to human causing a global pandemic, for which humanity is not yet prepared.

We have not developed a drug or a vaccine that might kill this evil virus, and so we are exposed to it. Lately there have been debates about the usefulness of the annual flu vaccines. Some scientists declare that if you get annually a flu vaccine, you are making yourself more susceptible to the flu in subsequent years, by weakening your immune system, instead of enforcing it.

Dr. Haim Danenberg of Hadassah University Hospital in Jerusalem says that one who did not get annual flu shots is possible to poses a better immune system then the annually vaccinated ones.

Some even say that flu vaccines create a pattern of dependence and once you begin taking them you will need to take them every year because your immune system gets weaker every year.

Phyllis Balch, an author of herbs and health does not recommend flu shots and suggests that the solution of getting rid of flu is by strengthening the immune system.

Every year a new strain of virus develops and we can not be sure that the flu shot we took will match for this new virus too, and the antibody response will only be protective if we are luckily enough to get infected with the right virus.

A study from Netherlands made on elderly people concluded that flu shots only give you one percent lower chance of getting the flu after all, so we ask ourselves why doctors and governments make all this propaganda for flu shots if they are only1% helpful.

In the case of bird flu things might not be like this, because if a virus strain is isolated and used to manufacture a bird flu vaccine, it may turn out to be more effective than 1%. Studies have not concluded yet.

It seems that flu shots contain toxic substances too, like mercury which is connected with the Alzheimer disease and could contribute to a mercury poisoning.

There is a law that indemnifies vaccine manufacturers from the harm caused by their products in case of a viral pandemic, even if the vaccine kills people.

You could find more about this law at: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:s.01873:

So, the vaccine producers are protected in case of a mass murder, and they even get money for it (they sell their vaccine to health authorities). This proves that vaccines are not safe and that is why the vaccine companies have assured their legal protection.

Before getting a shot, people should first find out mere about the side effects given by the vaccines and to reconsider whether they want to risk taking it or try a different solution like the real anti-viral medicines.

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

All The Bird Flu Facts You Need To Know!

By now everyone in the Western world is aware of the disease known as bird flu and all the bird flu facts associated with it. Everyone should also know the potential consequences involved with this virus if there was ever an outbreak in their town or city. Therefore in order to stop this from occurring people need to know every single bird flu fact there is available to them. There are surprisingly a lot of bird flu facts available and this article will endeavor to discuss most of them so that if ever the event of a bird flu outbreak, you will know what to do.

Bird Flu Fact Number One

The first bird flu fact is one that most people don't know about and it's this - the bird flu virus is not deadly to humans. So you're wondering "so why is it that so many people have died as a result of this virus". Well it's not the actual bird flu virus that affects humans, it's a strand of the virus that bird flu is able to mutate into and it's called the human influenza virus. Millions of people have died as a result of influenza outbreaks throughout history and this is the main reason why people are so scared of this virus. Fortunately we are now capable of stopping this infection before is causes serious harm or even death by the use of some powerful antiviral drugs that have been made available over the past few decades, however many third world countries don't have access to these drugs and as a result we hear about more and more casualties from bird flu.

Bird Flu Fact Number Two

There is in fact currently no cure for bird flu. This however doesn't mean we aren't close to one though. Scientists are currently testing a cure to the virus, which they say will be ready in the next five or so years. For now the only way to stop bird flu from affecting humans, is to destroy any poultry stock that has been infected by the virus. Many thousands of chickens have been destroyed over the past few years as a result of outbreaks and this can have a serious effect on third world countries.

Another bird flu fact that people don't know about is that there is a lot ways to prevent the influenza virus from entering a person's system. Right now there are things that people can do in case the unlikely event of a bird flu outbreak occurs close to home. There is a lot of equipment on the market that specializes in preventing viruses from entering a persons system. One of the cheapest and most affective pieces of equipment is the bird flu mask and can be found in both online and offline stores.

If you want to learn more about birdflu including free information, course reviews and much more, or you want to join our free weekly newsletter then please visit bird flu (Recommended) or for more free articles all about bird flu visit http://www.BirdFluReview.com/BirdFlu

A Step By Step Guide On How To Prevent Bird Flu

Bird Flu is one of the greatest threats to our modern civilization and if at all a pandemic strikes our planet earth, we are not at all prepared to face it. Bird flu spreads and multiplies in unhygienic conditions. In fact the carriers of this deadly virus are the wild birds, which remain unaffected by the outcome of the virus infiltration.

Bird flu is just an influenza virus. Generally this virus does not infect the humans. But a single strain of this virus, known as H5N1 can show infection symptoms in humans, dogs and pigs. Many of the viruses of this deadly disease has a common route to enter. They are found in our finger nails and enter through the mucous membrane of our nose and eyes.

However, the bird flu virus can be easily prevented. Some of the preventive measures are:

1.Maintaining proper personal hygiene. For that it is advisable that you wash your hands frequently, particularly while taking meals. And if you are looking for more safety use gloves while stepping out of your homes.

2.Apart from personal hygiene, proper sanitation is also very important. Unhygienic sanitation places are the best breeding grounds for the flu virus.

3.As it has been said earlier that the virus spreads through the mucous membranes so it is advisable for you to take some extra precautions. While traveling out in crowded places, make sure that you cover your eyes with a pair of goggles. And also try to cover your mouth and nose with the clinical masks available.

4.This is an advise both for the doctors and the general family members. While addressing a patient suffering from the virus, you should always cover your nose and mouth with a mask or an handkerchief. Because the mucous dropping by the patients carries the bird flu virus that might infect you.

5.There is some special care to take if you are a worker in a poultry farm. You need to protect all your body parts. So for that reason wear clinical masks and gloves for a complete protection. Keep separate clothes for the workplace and for home.

6.And if you find any bird suffering from the symptoms of the flu, you should immediately seclude it from the others. Do not allow the nasal discharge, fecal matter and the blood droplets of the infected chicken to come in contact with the healthy chickens.

7.There are certain vaccines for the bird flu disorder. But these vaccines sometimes fail to show positive results. So it is better to look for prevention than the cure.

8.While disposing the things used, like the gloves and the masks used while monitoring a bird or a human suffering from the virus, you should take some extra care. Dispose them as indicated on their manufacturing boxes.

9.The other natural way to prevent encounter with a flu virus is by improving your immune system. A strong immune system helps you fight this deadly virus. More over if you try to keep your general health fine, there are less chances of you being infected.

Preventing bird flu virus from spreading is not a difficult task. All you need to do is to be a little more careful about your surroundings and your health. An efficient immune and health system can fight any disease. The same is true with the prevention of the bird flu virus.

To read more articles on bird flu, bird flu prevention and bird flu vaccine visit http://www.isitbirdflu.com/

The author writes articles on different topics. To get more bird flu articles visit http://www.isitbirdflu.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!

To read more articles on bird flu, bird flu news and bird flu vaccine visit http://www.isitbirdflu.com/ To get more bird flu articles visit http://www.isitbirdflu.com/

Bird Flu - 2 Million Deaths In The US Alone

If you were fortunate enough to be able to watch the Horizon program on UK TV the other night and you are in the AT RISK category for catching bird flu, then you must be very worried. It's no longer a case of IF bird flu will arrive but WHEN. This program made very traumatic viewing.

The program made sobering viewing with its apocalyptic vision of how the Avian bird flu virus could get a grip on the worlds human population. It was horrendous watching the evidence of a bird flu expert who uses sophisticated computer programs to track the progress of the virus.

He was showing a map of the USA on a screen and the green dots which represented the poulation of the US over period of just 88 days turned red showing cases of life threatening influenza. I could not sleep because the image of that map was going through my mind. Governments and experts around the world are at present taking the threat of Bird Flu VERY seriously. Having crossed the species from birds to humans, this particular flu virus is EXTREMELY potent. One thing that is frightening about it is that it does not just select the old and weak as targets but also the young and healthy.

One of the most chilling things that was highlighted in the TV program was the fact that the spread of the virus will be VERY rapid and in many cases fatal because insufficient planning will allow it to cross borders and attack the planet extremely quickly. They showed an example of how the scientists say the disease is about to progress. In the illustration it started in a small village in Asia where a slaughtered bird infects just one villager, then another complete village as a visitor takes the disease with him.

The next bit is FACT. The US government believe that there will be 2 million deaths in America alone. In the UK the government's Influenza Pandemic Contingency Plan paints a scenario of up to 3/4 million British deaths. It is believed that hospitals and emergency services will be under exteme strain and this is the point where it gets really scary. Because there is a shortage of vaccine, they will have to make qualitative decisions over who gets the vaccine.

The difference between this and normal flu cases is that with normal flu the elderly and vulnerable are innoculated. In the case of a bird flu epidemic, due to the shortage off vaccine, it will be the young and the commercially important people who will get the vaccine. Even babies may not be protected.

There are some very serious questions which need answering sooner rather than later because the quicker the global population realise that this is about to become a reality and not a vague possibility the better. The TV program was a timely warning of what is coming to a town,city or village near you soon and I urge you to be prepared. Find out more about the Bird Flu Virus from our site at http://www.askabouthealth.com/Is_Bird_Flu_The_Next_Plague.html

Ask About Health pride themselves in researching to the highest degree on any health matter which may affect the population on a major scale. They have featured 2 major diseases in Bird Flu and MRSA. To get the complete facts on the chilling facts of Bird Flu which most governments are keeping quiet about, go to http://www.askabouthealth.com/Is_Bird_Flu_The_Next_Plague.htm

Bird Flu and the anti-Viral Drug Tamiflu

Bird flu might have disappeared from the news recently but the likelihood of a human pandemic has not receded along with media interest in the story. Unless there is something new to hang a story on, there seems no point in reporting on the matter. When a dead swan was found in Scotland earlier this year the whole of the world's media seemed to go crazy but interest soon faded, even after the confirmation that the dead bird was indeed infected with the H5N1 strain of the influenza virus, as this seemed to be an isolated incident with a single migratory bird that had strayed off course.

The Global Health Research Forum believes that the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of the virus could be with us for another decade and the possibility of this virus mutating into one which can be transferred between humans is still highly likely. So far 256 humans have been infected with the virus since 2003 but these have all been people who have come into close contact with infected poultry or wild fowl.

It is estimated that around 750,000 people in the UK could die in a pandemic. The Government has arranged to stockpile around 14 million courses of the anti-viral drug Tamiflu which is effective in preventing the spread of influenza or reducing the symptoms once contracted. The Government is also in talks about acquiring a vaccine.

Given that the Government has only made provisions for around 25% of the UK population, many people are looking to Buy Tamiflu for themselves and their families as a precaution. Although GPs can write a private prescription for their patients, many seem to be unsympathetic to their patients' concerns and have refused to write the prescriptions. As a result, many people have turned to the internet to seek advice and to purchase medication.

Anyone seeking to purchase Tamiflu online should be careful to purchase from a regulated Online Clinic or pharmacy. Whilst there are many charlatans supplying counterfeit medication over the internet, there are a few legitimate suppliers in the UK which employ doctors and dispense from regulated pharmacies. Any person looking to purchase Tamiflu online should check out the credentials of the supplier and ask for the registration details of the pharmacy that will dispense the medication so this can be checked with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain.

Ronald Widburn is a medical journalist. Ronald recommends visiting the Online Clinic is one of the leading suppliers of Tamiflu in the UK. It is possible to Buy Tamiflu following a free and secure online consultation with The Online Clinic.

Are We Ready For Next Asia Bird Flu?

The global health community is simmering in discontent. They are in a dilemma. They are unable to find a proper medication for a simple disease like bird flu. They crossed the moon. They intend to beat the stars. But the simple-looking disease, the bird-flu is causing them much concern. The survival chances of a person afflicted with this disease are less than 50%.

Next to terrorists, it is the hotly debated and discussed topic in the USA administration. There is a rare unanimity among the contending forces world over as to the damaging consequences this pandemic is likely to cause. In the Asian continent, about ten countries have experienced the bitter results of the attack of this disease in minor and major proportions.

From the position of anonymity, it is assuming a status of world importance. The deaths due to the attack of this disease have been relatively small so far. But the coming events, they say cast the shadows before.

Even the apolitical officials of the World Health Organization are the greatly worried. It is estimated by them that the world has to go through the bad influence of pandemic flu once in 30-40 years and the time is ripe now.

They are aware that something tangible needs to be done but how to do it and what to do, they are not aware about.

Many Asian countries including China and India have had the initial taste of the bird flu. Hong Kong had a few deaths on account of this bird flu but they answered it by culling the bird population ruthlessly. The last influenza pandemic that originated in Hong Kong in 1969 took the toll of 34,000 lives in the United States. In the Asian Region, this influenza did the worst job.

The viral sub type of the disease is still in circulation. The most recent beating influenza pandemics wave was felt in 1968 and its influence continued unabated for over a year. It is known as Hong Kong Flu and it was initially detected in China. It worked with full fury in Hong Kong. Put together, it claimed between one to four million lives. It then reached Canada, United Kingdom and United States, particularly California.

The nature, movements and the working of this virus is mysterious. So far, human beings suffered on account of the direct contact with the infected animals and their secretion. But the virus evolves constantly and mutates to inflict punishments on the birds, animals and human beings from different types of attacks.

So, where lies the solution? No one knows for certain. It is darkness of the cave!

Many Bird Flu articles are available at Asia Bird Flu & http://www.isitbirdflu.com/

Many Bird Flu articles are available at http://www.isitbirdflu.com/ for Asia Bird Flu.

Bird Flu Protection and Prevention

Bird flu prevention and protection can help prepare you for an influenza pandemic if it were to occur right now. You should become knowledgeable about the magnitude of what can happen is there were a pandemic outbreak. Certain actions can help lesson the impact on your family.

You should prepare yourself for an outbreak by gathering certain information and necessities in case your town comes down with a pandemic. These necessities will help you if you need to protect yourself from an outbreak and stay inside your home.

Put away a supply of food and water for you and your family. While the pandemic is taking place, you may have a hard time getting to the store or the store can be out of supplies, hence the importance for you to have extra supplies put away.

Make sure you carry non-prescription drugs and health supplies to your storage spot. You should have pain relievers, stomach remedies, cough medicines, fluid with electrolytes, and vitamins. This is necessary to provide relief in the event you come in contact with the flu.

Help other family members by explaining to them the necessity to store these items as well. Other people should be informed of what is needed in the event a pandemic happens in their area too. Each home should have somebody designated to help care for the sick.

You can help by volunteering your time with groups in your area to help prepare and assist in emergency situations. You can make a difference for people who have already come into contact with this deadly flu virus.

You can limit the spread of dangerous flu and prevent others or yourself from being infected. You need to teach your children to wash their hands often with soap and water, and you should be a model person in this rule and use the correct behavior as well.

Everyone in your family or home should make sure they cover their mouths with tissues while they are coughing or sneezing. This helps to prevent the spread of this flu by obstructing the germs from getting into the air around you.

Educate your children to keep away from anyone who seems like they could possibly be ill. Your children should also stay at home if they possess any of the symptoms of this flu to prevent contamination to other people.

You can both prevent and protect yourself from a deadly outbreak by following these simple guidelines. Don't risk your own life or the lives of others and help keep this flu under control.

Bird Flu Prevention and Protection - Get the facts about the Avian Flu Virus - http://www.avianstocks.com

The Importance Of A Bird Flu Mask

Though the avian influenza virus is hosted by birds, some particular subtype might affect other mammals too, including humans. In a direct manner the virus is contacted from infected birds, mostly domestic poultry but sometimes wild birds also can infect hunters, tribal people, etc. In an indirect manner the infection can enter the human system via edibles infected with the virus, polluted water, objects, air, food, etc. by the bodily secretions or excretions of infected birds. The flu virus being airborne, the contamination in the air could be reasonably high, in cases of epidemic or pandemic proportions. Infected people carry the flu virus with them wherever they travel and spread it in air and on objects they touch via their nasal secretions and bodily discharges.

Personal Protective Equipment or PPE as they are called are equipments designed for health professionals to use if they are working in contaminated environments. Nose and mouth respirators or 'Masks' are the ones most widely used. Bird flu masks are very specific pertaining to the fact that the bird flu virus is microscopic and is not easily filtered out from the environment using conventional filters.

These masks are designed on the guidelines given by National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Based on filtering efficiency, the filters used in the masks fall under 3 categories, namely Type 95, Type 99 and Type 100. The proportions of microscopic (0.3 micron wide) particles filtered out by these filters are 95%, 99% and 99.7%, respectively. Also the filters are categorized based on filter efficiency degradation and are hence labeled as, N (non-resistant to oil), R (oil resistant) and P (oil proof). Each individual mask is tested in laboratory settings before being approved for sale. But N95 ones are disposable and cannot be cleaned.

The most common ones are N-95 filtering respirators which have been approved by NIOSH (also called as Filtering Facepieces) as being effective drastically cutting down exposure risks to airborne viruses like SARS or Avian Influenza. The usage of masks is recommended to people working in high contamination situations, like health care workers attending to patients, or field workers involved in destroying the infection sources, etc.

Another set of very powerful, protective masks are Powered Air-Purifying Respirators (PAPRs). They are more effective than N-95 masks in offering better protection. These are used by persons who cannot wear N-95 masks, like people with facial hair. This battery operated mask has a face piece with breathing tube and filters.

Even though any mask is not a guarantee against influenza infection, they dramatically cut down the chances of infection from airborne viruses. It remains to be said however, that the capabilities of the masks degrade over time from usage. Aerosols, if present in the working environments, degrade the filters even more. Hence, bird flu masks should not be used with 100% reliance, but only as one of the preventive tool. More so, there are guidelines that need to be adhered to while (re)using such PPE. It is hence clear that the best defense does not lie in any amount of measures taken but rather in the knowledge with which they are implemented

Clive Jenkins recommends the Bird Flu Helpsite which will provide you with comprehensive information on all aspects of the Bird Flu Virus. To find articles, tips and free advice check out the site here:
http://www.birdfluhelpsite.com

Why the Risk of a Bird Flu Pandemic Increases as the Virus Spreads

The bird flu virus can be compared to a monkey with a typewriter. And that's why it's getting more and more dangerous.

You may have heard the old observation that if you give enough monkeys a keyboard, eventually one will -- just by random chance -- type out the complete works of Shakespeare.

Of course, the odds against one monkey doing this are extremely high. The universe might implode before one monkey could do this.

But give a trillion monkeys a keyboard and maybe one will do it in a few million years. Give as many trillion monkeys as it takes to stretch from here to the next galaxy a keyboard, and chances are one out of those gazillions of monkey will actually type out the complete works of Shakespeare.

I'm comparing monkeys to the bird flu virus or A/H5N1.

The bird flu virus doesn't have to do anything comparable to a monkey typing out Shakespeare. It just has to mutate or recombine genetic material to become high contagious to people. That's the start of a pandemic.

For viruses, that's a lot easier to do than for a monkey to type out the complete works of Shakespeare. There're many strains of influenza viruses in the world which are highly contagious to people. Most of us have suffered from the flu, caught from a child or coworker, so we know that.

The more A/H5N1 viruses there are this world, the higher the probability that one of them will become highly contagious, human to human, just as ordinary flu is now.

Just as with monkeys -- the more viruses, the faster one of them becomes highly contagious.

Yes, A/H5N1 "hid out" in chickens in China and wild ducks from the December 1997 massacre of chickens in Hong Kong until bird flu started killing chickens in South Korea.

It spread through most countries of Southeast Asia without becoming a pandemic. It's spread into Europe and Africa without becoming a pandemic -- so far.

The more people or animals bird flu infects, the more H5N1 viruses there are. Replicating, mutating and recombining with ordinary flu viruses.

Whether it's chickens in Thailand, cats in Germany or little girls in Turkey . . . the more viruses, the greater the probability it will become highly contagious.

And because it's now so widespread, there's little chance that it will be contained soon. Scientists expect it to land in the New World by autumn.

It's out of control and spreading fast.

How long before one out of those many countless trillions of viruses becomes highly contagious?

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

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

Bird Flu: Diagnosis

Central to the problem of dealing with bird flu is diagnosis. A number of upper respiratory infections have similar symptoms?at least at the onset of the illness, including the common cold, seasonal influenza, and bird flu. Seasonal flu and bird flu have almost identical symptoms?including fever, cough, malaise (feeling unwell), nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. This is, needless to say, a gigantic problem in accurately diagnosing bird flu?which is critical to beginning appropriate treatment as well as initiating infection control procedures and public health measures.

Currently, accurate testing for bird flu and other vial infections that can cause similar symptoms is difficult and requires specialized testing. This testing is time consuming and only available in specialized reference laboratories, which are few and far between. Fortunately, this may change in the near future.

According to Richard Janeczko, Ph.D., executive vice-president and chief scientific officer, Tm Bioscience, located In Toronto, Canada, is feverishly working to complete the final stage of development of an amazing test?not only for bird flu, but for more than 15 other viral infections (including severe acute respiratory syndrome or SARS), many of which can mimic the symptoms of bird flu (personal communication). (Tm Bioscience is a DNA-based diagnostics company developing a suite of genetic tests. Tm Bioscience?s product pipeline includes tests for genetic disorders, drug metabolism, and infectious diseases.

The test, called the Multiplexed Respiratory Test, discriminates influenza A from influenza B and identifies the H5-subtype of influenza A (bird flu is ?H5N1?) from all other H subtypes. In addition, it can identify almost all the other common?and some uncommon?viruses that cause influenza-like illnesses. This is extremely important in managing patients, communities and economic issues. Other tests have lower clinical sensitivities and specificities which can lead to both false positives and false negatives.

By incorrectly identifying an outbreak as due to H5N1, patients could be treated with anti-virals unnecessarily (thus raising the chances of selecting for drug-resistant strains), unneeded vaccination programs in asymptomatic individuals could be initiated, and damage to local and national economies?through such measures as culling of commercial poultry operations?could occur. Conversely a false-negative test result could lead to catastrophic outcomes, including a pandemic.

The assay utilizes swab specimens taken from the nose and takes less than 5 hours to perform. It was developed for use as a diagnostic tool and for infection control in hospitals. The assay has been slated for expedited review by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and TM Bioscience is hoping to have an FDA-cleared test available by the end of January 2006. If this assay delivers what it claims, it will have huge applicability on a global basis and save many lives.

Bradford Frank, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A. The Frank Group. P.O. Box 138 Lakewood, NY 14750 http://www.AvoidBirdFlu.com