What You Should Know About Bird Flu (Avian Flu)

Many Americans are concerned over bird flu (avian flu). Can it spread to the United States? What are the signs and symptoms? What should I look out for? The following articles' purpose is to try to give more information on this disease.

Bird flu otherwise known as avian flu is a virus that occurs naturally in birds, which is why it is often referred to as bird flu. Wild birds worldwide carry the virus in their intestines and usually do not get sick from them, however it appears that a new type of avian flu virus does cause disease and death in migratory wild birds.

The difference between bird flu and human flu is bird flu does not easily transfer to humans. Human flu actually originated from bird flu, but changed over time to have the ability to spread from human to human. Both bird flu and human flu are variations or strains of influenza A virus.

Bird flu was first recorded in Italy over 100 years ago in 1878. It was known as "fowl plague" due to the massive poultry epidemics. It came to the United States in 1924 and 1925, and then once again in 1929. So far, there have been very few people infected with bird flu, and almost all of them became infected due to close contact with infected birds, such as children playing on the ground of a poultry farm.

The current bird flu in the news is technically called avian flu H5N1. There have been a few suspected cases of human-to-human transmission in Asia, but the bird flu is still spread predominately from infected poultry to people. Bird flu is spread to humans by direct contact with infected bird's saliva, nasal secretions and feces - however the most common route of infection is by fecal particles being ingested for infected birds. These infected feces can then contaminate food, soil and drinking water, and spread on commonly touched surfaces such as cages, food, shoes and clothing.

Symptoms of bird flu in humans range from typical flu-like symptoms (fever, cough, sore throat and muscle aches) to eye infections (conjunctitis), pneumonia, acute respiratory distress, viral pneumonia, and other severe life-threatening complications. Unlike seasonal influenza, bird flu may follow an unusually aggressive clinical course, with rapid deterioration (1-3 days). Primary viral pneumonia and multi-organ failure have been common among people who have become ill with bird flu.

As of July 14, 2006, the World Health Organization (WHO) has reported over 230 human cases of bird flu globally. More cases are suspected to turn up before the beginning of 2007.