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Overview

What is bird flu?

Bird flu is an infection caused by a type of avian influenza virus. Although there are many types of bird flu, the type that now concerns health workers is the H5N1 bird flu virus. This virus is found in wild birds. Most of the time, wild birds do not get sick from the virus. But wild birds can easily pass the virus to birds that are being raised for food—such as chickens, ducks, and turkeys—and cause them to get very sick.

Usually, bird flu virus is not passed from birds to people. But since 1997, some people have become sick with this serious, deadly type of bird flu. Most of these infections have been in Asian countries among people who have had close contact with farm-raised birds.

What causes bird flu?

Bird flu is caused by an infection with a virus. After a wild bird infects a farm-raised bird, the virus can easily and quickly spread among hundreds or thousands of birds. Sick birds must then be killed to stop the virus from spreading.

People who come into contact with sick chickens, ducks, or turkeys are more likely to get the virus. Bird flu virus can be passed through bird droppings and saliva. It can also live on surfaces such as cages, tractors, and other farm equipment.

Most people do not need to worry about getting sick with bird flu virus. You cannot get bird flu from eating cooked chicken, turkey, or duck because heat makes the bird flu virus inactive.

Why are people so worried about H5N1 bird flu?

In a few cases, experts think that bird flu was passed from a person to a person, not from a bird to a person. Because viruses can change quickly (mutate), experts worry that bird flu will one day be passed easily from person to person. This is a scary possibility because the H5N1 bird flu virus can make people more sick than other types of flu viruses. Even though only a few hundred people are known to have been sick with bird flu, more than half of them have died.

Experts also worry because the H5N1 bird flu virus is so different from other flu viruses that our bodies do not have any immunity . Not having immunity means that our bodies have a hard time fighting the virus. It also means that anyone, including those who are otherwise very healthy, can get seriously ill if he or she gets this type of bird flu.

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms of bird flu can be the same as common flu symptoms, such as:

• A fever.
• A cough.
• A sore throat.
• Muscle aches.
• An eye infection (conjunctivitis ).

More serious symptoms of bird flu include:

• Pneumonia , a serious lung infection.
• Acute respiratory distress syndrome , a life-threatening lung problem.

If you have traveled somewhere or live in an area where there is bird flu and you have a fever and a hard time breathing, contact your doctor right away.

How is it diagnosed and treated?

If your doctor thinks you may have bird flu, he or she will do a physical exam and ask you questions about your symptoms and past health. Your doctor will also ask you where you live, where you have traveled recently, and if you have been near any birds. Then your doctor may order blood tests, nasal swabs, or other tests, such as X-rays , to help find out what is making you sick.

Some questions your doctor might ask are:

• Have you been in close contact with live, sick, or dead poultry, or wild birds within 3 ft]?
• Have you eaten raw or poorly cooked poultry or poultry products?
• Have you had close contact (touching or speaking distance) with someone from an area affected with H5N1 bird flu virus who has a severe respiratory illness or someone who later died from an unknown cause?
• Are you a laboratory or poultry worker who might have been exposed to H5N1 bird flu virus?

Treatment for bird flu depends on what the virus is doing to your body. In some cases, antiviral medicines may help improve symptoms. But experts are concerned that bird flu may be resistant to certain antiviral medicines. Viruses become resistant when they change over time and then the medicines that killed them in the past no longer work well.

If you have bird flu, you will stay in a private hospital room (isolation room ) to reduce the chances of spreading the virus to others. When your doctors and nurses are caring for you, they will wear gloves and gowns. Some people who have bird flu may need a machine to help them breathe better (a ventilator ). Other people may need a machine to help the kidneys work better (kidney dialysis ). More than half of the time, bird flu leads to death.

So far, no cases of H5N1 bird flu in humans have been found in Canada or the United States. Most human cases have occurred in Asian countries. But experts believe the virus may eventually spread to all parts of the world.

What is being done to prevent the spread of bird flu? What can I do to prevent it?

The World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are preparing for the possibility that bird flu could spread to people all over the world (a pandemic). Experts are working on a shot (vaccine) to protect people from getting the H5N1 bird flu virus. They are also storing up large supplies of antiviral medicines. The United States government has also developed a flu plan. This is a plan to prepare for a pandemic and to make sure as few people as possible get the virus.

International health organizations now require that all infected birds be killed. Some countries have programs to clean up poultry farms and to check that all birds are healthy before they are sold. In 2004, the United States stopped buying poultry from most Asian countries.

Even though there is a lot of talk about bird flu, most people do not have to worry about getting it. As of spring 2006, no cases of bird flu in humans have been found in the United States. But you can take steps to lower your chances of getting infected.

• If you live in an area with bird flu or if you are traveling to a country where there is bird flu:
  • Avoid poultry farms, poultry-processing factories or plants, and close contact with chickens, turkeys, or ducks.
  • Stay away from open-air markets where live birds are sold.
• If you are traveling to a country where there is bird flu, you can also do the following:
  • Ask your doctor about getting a regular flu shot. It is best to do this at least 2 weeks before you leave. This will not prevent bird flu, but it may help you avoid getting the regular flu.
• Keep your hands clean by washing them often with soap and warm water or using a hand gel that kills germs. If you use a hand gel, be sure to buy only gels made with alcohol. They do the best job of cleaning your hands.
• Do not eat raw eggs or raw poultry. But you can safely eat cooked eggs and cooked chicken, duck, and turkey because heat kills the bird flu virus.