Embed Doc
Copy Link
Readcast
Collections

CommentGo Back

Download

David YeeAvian FluAvian Flu is a virus infection. Avian Flu is most commonly found within birds andhis highly contagious. Birds with Avian Flu are seen to be at a high risk of death for it isvery deadly. Cases of Avian Flu in humans have been reported since 1997. These cases of H5N1 are usually caused by direct contact with contaminated domestic birds. Thisincludes contact with contaminated eggs, ducks, ducks, chicken, and other types of poultry.The Avian Flu is a recent viral infectious disease, which has many subtypes to it.Despite its many subtypes, there are only three currently known which are, H1N1, H1N2and H3N2. This disease that is going around the human population is evolving. Thismeans that over time the H5N1 virus may be able to adapt to its environment and infect amuch greater number of the human population than it is already infecting. Symptoms of the Avian Flu have a wide variety. Some symptoms are not so sever such as fever, cough,sore throat, and muscle aches. The more severe symptoms include eye infections andpneumonia. The Avian Flu is said to be treatable with prescription medicines, but overtime this may not be able to hold true. This is caused by the virus’s ability to evolve andadapt to the human host. Many outbreaks of the H5N1 virus have been fatal to close tohave of the hosts.

The start of Avian Flu is said to begin in Hong Kong. Research done in the 1960’sand 70’s have revealed that the migration of waterfowls like ducks and geese to HongKong have started the spread of Avian Flu in China. These birds are not affected becauseof the adaptation of the virus to the birds. Contact with these waterfowls has been thecause of the first outbreaks of Avian Flu. After the human to bird encounter, the human-to-human pandemic can begin by having contact with others who happen to becontaminated. Most cases of Avian Flu have been reported in China, the Near East,Africa, and parts of Europe. Most of the infestations have occurred from being in contactwith infected poultry.Avian Flu is a treatable disease and also attempted to be preventable. Drugs havebeen made to prevent and treat the spread of Avian Flu, but some drugs are nowworthless. The H5N1 virus has adapted to

amantadine and rimantadine medicines for thetreatment and prevention of this virus but other drugs such as tamiflu and relenza are saidto be a reliable source of care for the virus. There is currently no guaranteed vaccine tofully prevent Avian Flu and some vaccines that have been concocted have been disproved by the evolving virus. Scientists are still trying to create a vaccine that is guaranteed towork against the Avian Flu.