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Bird Flu Overview

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If you've been sick recently or in the past, you know what that feels like. You feel achy and miserable. Your nose keeps running and you sneeze a lot. You even have aches and pains in the joints and more. You try to take over-the-counter medication but with no luck. You finally go to your doctor and have gives you your diagnoses - you have the flu. This is not too uncommon, especially during the winter and early spring season. Many people get sick each year by some kind of new strain of virus. Well recently this pattern has not changed for there is a new epidemic going around, threatening our very existence. This is the dreaded bird flu. We've read and heard so much about it, but do we really know what it is, how we get it, and how to cope with it if we do get it. According to physicians, bird flu usually begins much like any type of virus, with a fever, cough, sore throat, and muscle aches. But bird flu can go further and can lead to life-threatening complications for people who get it. Here are some more stats about bird flu you should be aware of:

• Accessibility: According to doctors, it is hard for humans to become contaminated with bird flu. However, if there was a major outbreak, the virus could eventually mutate into a form that can spread from one human to another. If this were to happen, we would face an epidemic like the Spanish influenza that occurred in 1918 and 1919.
• Signs: Bird flu symptoms can be rather complex. There are a number of related symptoms that you may feel. And not all bird flu strains work the same. If you have a pet bird and notice he has ruffled feathers or reduced egg production, this may be a sign he caught the bird flu. However, if your bird is healthy one day and dead the next, he may have gotten the full effect of the virus. The only problem with this virus, is scientist don't know how it will affect humans. There have been cases in Africa and some European countries where people have died from bird flu symptoms. If a human were to contract the flu, symptoms have ranged from a mild eye infection to more serious complications. But the most common symptoms seem to include a cough, fever, sore throat, and muscle aches. Doctors warn that if people get the (A) H5N1 virus strain, the person can die.
• Causes: The most valid reason for getting the bird flu is because the body's natural defense mechanism cannot stop the virus from attacking the cells in the body. The virus becomes quickly immune to the vaccines that are developed, leaving the body exposed to such dangers. As for bird flu, the birds that become infected swarm around chickens, turkeys, and geese. They then pass it on to these birds. Then humans touch these infected birds and get contaminated.
• Risks involved: The greatest risk to humans is if they come in contact with sick birds or surfaces that are infected with the virus. If humans were to touch the bird's feathers, saliva, or get droppings on them, they could become contaminated with the flu.

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