Ailmemts & Remedies

Avian Flue


You’ve probably heard news reports about a potentially dangerous avian flu. And like many people, you may be wondering how to react to the frightening headlines about people having died of the bird flu and the possibility of the flu someday spreading rapidly around the world, infecting humans.

While the bird flu can be serious, unless you have household chickens and live in a country where there’s an outbreak now, the bird flu probably is not an immediate health threat for you or your family. Experts believe only 160 people have contracted the disease since it was identified as a threat 8 years ago.

The avian flu that has affected birds and people in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, is different from the flu that many people get during the cold-weather months. Poultry – like chickens and turkeys – tend to get infected with the bird flu by migrating waterfowl (like ducks, geese, and swans), and spread it to other birds through their infected feces, saliva, or secretions. The people who have gotten sick or died from the bird flu in Asia have had direct contact with infected birds, or surfaces that have been contaminated by them. This strain of the bird flu – which is called H5N1 – can’t be spread from person to person.

Experts are concerned that this flu could mutate (undergo a genetic change) into a new form that can spread from person to person. Right now there’s no vaccine for the bird flu, so they’re worried that if it does mutate, it will be difficult to stop and will cause a pandemic, which is a global outbreak.

Health officials around the world are taking precautions to make sure that the bird flu doesn’t spread, and to keep people safe from it if it does. Many countries – including the United States – aren’t importing poultry from countries where there have been avian flu outbreaks.



Here are some more answers to questions about avian flu:
What Is Avian Flu?
It is a form of the flu (influenza) virus that usually only infects birds and sometimes infects pigs. There are many different strains of the avian flu. Some of those strains only cause mild symptoms in birds, ruffling their feathers and reducing their egg production. Other strains, including some of the H5 strains, are more dangerous – they spread quickly, cause more severe symptoms, and are almost always fatal to the birds.


Where Is the Avian Flu an Urgent Concern?

Could Avian Flu Become a Concern in the United States?
The strain of flu virus that has spread in Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe has not been found in birds – or humans – in the United States. There’s a very low risk that people in the United States will get infected with the avian flu unless there’s a global outbreak.


How Do Birds Spread the Flu to Other Birds?
Researchers think that migrating birds, like ducks, geese, and swans can carry and spread the virus to other birds but generally don’t get sick from it. Bird flu can sicken domesticated birds, like chickens and turkeys, and kill them.

A bird can get the bird flu from another bird by coming into close contact with its infected feces, secretions, or saliva, or surfaces, dirt, or cages that have been contaminated by them. That’s why researchers think live bird markets, where birds are kept in close quarters, are places where the virus has rapidly spread.

The virus also can spread from farm to farm if birds’ infected feces and saliva get on farming equipment, like tractor wheels, clothing, and cages.

How Has Avian Flu Spread to Humans?

Can a Person With Avian Flu Spread it to Other People?

What Are the Symptoms of Avian Flu in Humans?

What Are the Signs of a Pandemic?
If clusters of people start showing symptoms of the flu around the same time, in the same place, in a country where it’s known that the virus is spreading, it would signal that the virus has mutated and is spreading from person to person. Doctors and public health officials would try to find out how the people got sick, and use that information to try to track and stop the disease from spreading.

Officials in Japan, Korea, and Malaysia have announced that their local outbreaks have been controlled, and that there’s no more of the virus there.


U.S. President George Bush announced a plan that includes stockpiling medications to help reduce effects of the flu, producing more flu vaccine, and developing a vaccine for the avian flu.

Should I Stop Eating Chicken and Turkey?
It’s safe to eat properly cooked chicken, turkey, and any other poultry in the United States. But do not eat raw (uncooked) or undercooked poultry or poultry products. When you’re cooking, separate raw meat from cooked or ready-to-eat foods. Don’t use the same cutting boards, knives, or utensils on uncooked meats and other foods. Heat can destroy flu viruses, so you should cook poultry until the temperature of the meat reaches at least 158 degrees Fahrenheit (70 degrees Celsius).

How Can I Protect My Family From Avian Flu?

At this point, if you live in a country where there’s not a bird flu outbreak, there aren’t any special precautions you need to take. But in general, hand washing keeps viruses and other contagious illnesses from spreading. So no matter where you live or how healthy you are, be sure to frequently and thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water, particularly after going to the bathroom and before preparing meals and eating, and after taking care of a sick person. Encourage your child to develop healthy hand-washing habits.

Can the Flu Shot Prevent Avian Flu?

What’s the Treatment for Avian Flu?

Doctors hope that antiviral medications will help keep the flu from spreading if it mutates and becomes contagious to humans. These medications can’t cure the bird flu, but they can make the symptoms less severe. Still, flu viruses can become resistant to these drugs, so they may not always work. More studies are underway to determine how effective these medications are.

Can My Pet Bird Get Infected With the Avian Flu?
Your pet bird could contract the avian flu if it is exposed to another bird that’s carrying the virus. So it’s important to keep your bird and its food and water inside, away from any place where it could be exposed to infected migrating or domestic birds. That way your pet won’t be at risk for getting the bird flu.

In addition, there are many precautions you can take to guard against the bird flu virus and other illnesses.

1.Don’t allow your bird to drink or eat from ponds or other places that migrating birds may have flown over.

2.Keep your pet bird’s cage clean.

3.Wash your hands after handling your pet bird, cleaning its cage, or after having any contact with your bird’s secretions.

4.If you have any questions about your bird’s health, talk with your veterinarian.


That said, there is an illegal market for buying and selling exotic birds and other animals. So just to be safe, before you buy any animal to keep as a pet, find out where it was born and raised. If you have any questions, contact a veterinarian, officials with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, or the World Health Organization.


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