Frequently Asked Questions                                                         Glossary

What is Bird Flu?
How can people become infected with bird flu?
What are the symptoms of bird flu in humans?
How is the virus detected in humans?
How can the spreading of bird flu be prevented?
Why is the avian influenza A (H5N1) virus a particular concern?
Is there a vaccine to protect against the H5N1 virus in humans?
Are there any recommendations for people traveling to infected areas?
Can you still eat poultry?
What determines if an Avian Influenza is a highly pathogenic?

What is bird flu?
It is the infection caused by avian (bird) influenza (flu) viruses. These viruses exist in the intestines of wild birds worldwide. These birds do not usually get sick from the virus, but if they do, it is very contagious. Domestic birds, like chickens, turkeys and ducks, can get very sick and die.

How severe is the bird flu?
This depends on what form of the flu a bird gets. The disease exists in two main forms that are distinguished by low and high extremes of virulence. The “low pathogenic” form may go undetected because it only causes mild symptoms, such as ruffled feathers, lack of appetite, or drop in egg production. The “highly pathogenic” form spreads rapidly through flocks. It can cause disease among multiple internal organs, and it has a mortality rate of up to 90-100%, often in 48 hours.

How can people become infected with bird flu?
Most cases of human infection are the result of direct contact with infected poultry or surfaces contaminated with secretions or excretions from infected birds. Human to human transmission is rare.

What are the symptoms of bird flu in humans?
Upon exposure to the virus, the illness seems to develop in one to five days. The symptoms of avian influenza may depend on which virus subtype and strain caused the infection. Sometimes the only sign of the virus is a mild eye infection. Typically though the symptoms are close to those of conventional influenza: cough, fever, sore throat, and muscle aches. If someone catches H5N1-the most virulent type of bird flu-they may develop life-threatening complications. The most common causes of bird-flu related deaths are viral pneumonia and acute respiratory distress.

How is the virus detected in humans?
A laboratory test is necessary to confirm infection.

How can the spreading of bird flu be prevented?
Measures to control the virus include culling, surveillance programs, and banning birds. Culling is the term used for destroying sick or exposed birds. Affected farms are also quarantined. The World Health Organization considers this the first-line defense against avian viruses. Many countries have begun instituting vaccination and surveillance programs for poultry farms and markets. They have taken steps to prevent the smuggling of birds and instituted programs to that pace new birds in quarantine until they have been deemed healthy. Some countries even require their poultry farmers to disinfect boots and tires. Some nations have also banned or restricted the importation of birds and hatching eggs from regions with bird flu epidemics.

Why is the avian influenza A (H5N1) virus a particular concern?
It is the influenza subtype that is responsible for the majority of human and avian deaths. It is a particularly dangerous strain because it allows direct transmission of the flu from birds to people. It has high virulence, meaning it is especially lethal. H5N1 is also able to spread rapidly. The virus mutates quickly and is able to undergo reassortment (the process of taking genetic code from viruses that infect other species). This means it has the potential of combining with a human flu virus and gaining the ability to spread rapidly from person to person. As of now, the spread of H5N1 from person to person is rare and it has not continued past one person. If the H5N1 virus were to become able to spread easily, an influenza pandemic (worldwide outbreak of disease) could occur.

Is there a vaccine to protect against the H5N1 virus in humans?
No, there is not currently a commercially available vaccine to protect people against the H5N1 virus found in Asia and Europe.

Are there any recommendations for people traveling to infected areas?
If you are traveling to any region with bird flu outbreaks, avoid domesticated birds, rural areas, small farms, and open-air markets. Always wash your hands. When traveling, carry an alcohol-based hand sanitizer because it does not require water and helps kill bacteria and prevent infection. Avoid raw eggs and products that contain them (such as mayonnaise and ice cream) because eggshells are often contaminated with bird droppings.

Can you still eat poultry?
Yes, no human cases of bird flu have been traced to eating poultry because heat destroys avian viruses. When handling and preparing poultry, remember to wash you cutting boards, utensils, and hands well and cook thoroughly.

What determines if an Avian Influenza is a highly pathogenic?
1) Lethal for six, seven, or eight 4 to 6 week-old chickens within 10 days following intravenous inoculation with 0.2 ml of a 1:10 dilution of virus in a bacteria-free, allantoic fluid. 2) It has a polybasic amino acid region at the hemagglutinin cleavage site and is of the H5 or H7 subtype (see below). 3) It is not an H5 or H7 virus but kills one to five chickens and grows in cell culture in the absence of trypsin.

 

Glossary

Contagious: (adj.) spreading or tending to spread from one to another

Culling: (v.) to pick out and remove from others (ie. killing infected or exposed birds)

Epidemic: (n.) an outbreak of a contagious disease that spreads rapidly and widely; (adj.) affecting many individuals in an area or a population at the same time

Immunity: (n.) inherited, acquired, or induced resistance to infection by a specific pathogen

Influenza: (n.) an acute contagious viral infection, commonly occurring in epidemics or pandemics, and characterized by inflammation of the respiratory tract and by the sudden onset, fever, chills, muscular pain, headache, and severe prostration

Pandemic: (adj./n.) epidemic over a wide geographic area and affecting a large proportion of the population

Pathogenic: (adj.) capable of causing disease

Plague: (n.) a highly fatal infectious disease that is caused by the bacterium Yersinia (syn. Pasturella ) pestis, is transmitted primarily by the bite of a rat flea, and occurs in bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic forms.

Seasonal Flu: (n.) contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses

Serologic: (n.) the characteristics of a disease or organism shown by study of blood serums

Virulence: (n.) the relative capacity of a pathogen to overcome body defenses; (adj.) extremely infectious, malignant, or poisonous (ie. used of a disease or toxin), capable of causing disease by breaking down protective mechanisms of the host

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