Will the avian flu cause a disaster similar to the Spanish flu of 1918 that killed more than fifty million people in the world?
Avian flu or avian influenza is spreading at an alarming rate and it is believed that if it continues its flight, it has the possible to cause other major pandemic colse to the world. This time, it is estimated that up to one hundred and fifty million people may die.
Kazakhstan
Avian flu is a disease caused by a definite type of avian or bird influenza virus. Scientists have discovered that there are fifteen types of avian flu viruses that affect the bird populace. The current outbreak of avian flu is caused by the H5N1 virus.
Although the avian flu virus is supposed to be typically affecting the birds, the nature of this flu virus is that it can mutate and replacement from one species to another. The avian flu virus that has been killing birds previously is now affecting human beings too. Those people who have been affected contacted the disease because they were unhygienic in handling infected poultry.
The H5N1 virus has been found to be highly contagious and it can be transmitted to human beings through the perceive of excretal or nasal secretions from infected birds. In addition, if the avian flu mutates and joins with a human flu virus, it will be transmitted unmistakably from one someone to another. If not detected and treated early, it can come to be fatal. The deadly avian flu virus is highly infectious and if it spreads rapidly, it will cause rapid fatalities to the human species.
This virus was first discovered in Hong Kong in 1997. It was spread by infected migratory birds such as wild ducks, swallows and wild geese to domesticated fowls like chicken, ducks, geese, turkeys and eventually affecting human beings too. A estimate of countries have confirmed human deaths due to avian flu and the figures have been constantly on the rise. Apparently, the avian flu virus has infected some hundred people and killing at least one hundred and fifty of them. It has also spread to a estimate of other countries such as Cambodia, mainland China, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The lethal H5N1 virus has caused the death or culling of an estimated two hundred million birds over a widespread of countries such as Cambodia, China (including Hong Kong), Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Thailand, Malaysia, Mongolia, Romania, Russia, Turkey and Vietnam.
When infected with the pathogenic H5N1 virus, the birds may invent severe sicknesses such as respiratory diseases and they commonly die within the same day. Other telltale symptoms are loss of appetite, diarrhea, nervousness and depression as well as a allowance in egg yield and ruffled feathers.
As arresting is the best cure, the precautionary measures initiated by the assorted affected countries helps in curbing aggravation.
At poultry farms, once a bird is infected, it must be culled immediately and the others properly vaccinated. While the owners are to routinely send randomly excellent birds to the nearest avian lab for standard check-ups, all of their workers must be properly covered when handling the fowls so as to avoid any direct contacts with infected birds.
It is believed that the avian flu virus cannot survive in temperatures above 100C. As such, all poultry products must be cooked completely and properly. In addition, it is prominent to wash one's hands with soap and hot water before food preparation and meals or after arrival in perceive with raw poultry products.
Although two drugs, Tamiflu (oseltamivir) and Relenza (zanamivir) are found to be productive against the deadly avian flu virus if taken within forty-eight of occurrence of first symptoms, no preventive drugs has yet been discovered against the H5N1 virus.
Avian flu infection in human beings portrays common flu symptoms such as cough, fever, headache, sore throat and muscle aches or pains. These may then develop to life threatening complications such as severe chest pains, breathing difficulties, respiratory failure and viral pneumonia. However, at times, the only symptom that an affected someone has is an eye infection such as conjunctivitis, which can be mistaken to be lowly sore eyes. As such, there may be misconceptions on whether the someone has lowly flu or the life-threatening avian flu.
The avian flu is unmistakably a possible pandemic threat to humanity and has to be addressed globally. As arresting has all the time been the best cure, the temporary solution is to pronounce a wholesome and sanitary lifestyle all the time.
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