We Know: Bird Flu Facts What is bird flu? Bird flu (Avian influenza, Type A influenza) refers to viruses that occur naturally among birds. Wild birds carry the viruses in their intestines without being affected, but avian influenza is very contagious among birds and can make domesticated birds, including chickens, ducks, and turkeys, terminally ill. Domesticated birds become infected with it through direct contact with infected waterfowl or other poultry, or through dirt. Cages, materials, water or feed contaminated with the virus. The disease spreads rapidly through flocks of poultry and has a mortality rate of 90-100% within 48 hours. How does bird flu affect humans? While few cases of avian influenza virus have occurred in humans, the risk from avian influenza is generally low to most people. Confirmed cases of human infection from several subtypes of bird flu have been reported since 1997. Most cases have resulted from contact with infected poultry or surfaces contaminated with secretion/excretions from infected birds. The spread of bird flu from one ill person to another has been reported very rarely, and transmission has not been observed to continue beyond one person. How is bird flu related to human flu? There are only three known A subtypes of influenza viruses (H1N1, H1N2, and H3N2) currently circulating among humans. It is likely that some genetic parts of current human influenza A viruses came from birds originally. Influenza A viruses are constantly changing, and they might adapt over time to infect and spread among humans. What are the symptoms of bird flu? Symptoms of avian influenza in humans have ranged from typical human influenza-like symptoms to eye infections, pneumonia, severe respiratory and other severe and life-threatening complications. How is bird flu treated? Some of the prescription medicines approved in the United States for human influenza viruses should work in treating avian influenza infection in humans. However, influenza viruses can become resistant to these drugs, and not work. In Asia, the H5N1 virus is resistant to amantadine and rimantadine, two antiviral medications commonly used for influenza. Two other antiviral medications, oseltamavir and zanamavir, may work to treat this form of the virus, but are still undergoing study. What are the chances of a bird flu pandemic? Most cases of H5N1, the bird flu strain that has crossed the species barrier to infect humans, have occurred in previously healthy children and young adults. So far, the spread the virus from person to has not continued beyond one person. Because all influenza viruses have the ability to change, scientists are concerned that it one day could be able to infect humans and spread easily from one person to another. Because these viruses do not commonly infect humans, there is little or no immune protection against them in the human population. If bird flu were to gain the capacity to spread from person to person, worldwide outbreak (pandemic) could begin. When this could happen is not known, but scientists from around the world are watching this disease closely.
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