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Bird Flu

A collage of images showing an enlarged model of the virus with birds being the main carrier.

What is bird flu? Bird flu, also known as avian influenza is a viral infection that primarily affects birds. It is caused by a virus. There are various types of bird flu. Some bird flu does not cause a problem in birds but others (called strains) in particular one called H5N1 is deadly to birds. Reference: Australian Government Dept of Health

What does H5N1 actually mean? This is the name used by scientists to identify the surface coating of the virus. H5 = Hemagglutin type 5; N1= Neuraminidase type 1. Hemagglutin helps the virus attach to the host cell and neuraminidase helps to promote release of the virus from infected cells. Reference: Wikipedia hemagglutin, neuraminidase

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Why is bird flu important? Bird flu is a significant problem to the poultry industry (chicken farmers). If a deadly strain of bird flu infects a flock, farmers will lose their livelihood. The major concerns with bird flu is that humans can be infected with the virus, and that the virus will change form and be able to infect from human to human, rather than just human to animal. If this happens, there is the potential for a bird flu "pandemic" Learning about bird flu virus can also help us understand how viruses work and develop methods for how they can be treated.

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What is the history of bird flu? Bird flu has probably been around for millions of years. Perhaps for as long as birds. The influenza virus itself has been infecting vertebrate animals for millions of years. The current deadly version of the bird flu was first identified in 1997 in Hong Kong. Millions of chickens were slaughtered when the virus was discovered to cause disease in people exposed to infected birds. 18 people infected and six deaths occur. The flu pandemic of 1918 was also thought to have developed from a avian flu virus that mutated which led to infection from people to people. Reference: Wikipedia - H5N1

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What is the future of bird flu ? This is regarded as the critical question. If bird flu mutated to become a human to human form some scientists from WHO estimate that between 5 and 150 million people could be killed. Reference: BBC news

Further research into the genetics and molecular biology of viruses are likely to provide new clues about how they work and different ways in which to protect against such viruses. Although viruses have the opportunity to become resistant to drugs simply due to the infinite variability of changes in DNA and proteins. There will be a constant battle to keep up with viruses. But on the upside the immune system of animals is also very adaptable and it is likely that some will develop an immune response to deal with new viruses. further reading National Institute of Allergy & Infectious disease

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Disclaimer:

Although every care has been taken to make this site useful, this site does not provide influenza infection medical treatment advice. You should consult your doctor or healthcare professional for flu infection advice specific to you.