What is the last bird flu treatment found? can breastfeeding mothers transmit it to thier kids?
353865
The H5N1 virus had also been found in breast milk, infected mothers were being advised not to breast-feed. Healthy mothers of infected children were also being advised not to breast-feed. (New York Times Article)\n The virus appears to be resistant to two older generic flu drugs, amantadine and rimantadine. However, the newer flu drugs Tamiflu and Relenza are expected to work – though supplies could run out quickly if an outbreak occurs. \n Currently there is no vaccine, although scientists are working to develop one. It probably will take several months to complete and may not be ready in time to stop a widespread human outbreak, if one occurs.
617896
Anybody who has Kids as a Homeopath I will advise them to use ARSENICUM ALBUM 200 three drops of it in a sip of water will stop it from becoming full fledged flu if given as soon as a kid starts sneezing and you know its gonna develop into Flu just three drops will do the trick !\nA STITCH IN TIME SAVES NINE !\n\nTake care and God Bless you !\nFeel Free to ask me Homeopathic remedies whenever you need to.
91705
I live in a country where the bird flu has just hit. Thank god it's put under control - but a precautions list was released in the paper recently. Generally, you can still eat the chicken and its eggs (even if it is sick) - but they will have to be THOROUGHLY cooked. That means, no runny yolk from eggs, and no pink parts on the chicken. It has to be really, really cooked that the chicken is completely white, and bone marrows are burnt dark brown. No blood. No pink parts.\n\nThe virus (if present) in the chicken will die from the heat. So no worries there...\n\nAlso, when dealing with chickens - it's best to wear rubber disposable gloves and avoid contact with the chicken at all costs. Always scrub and wash the tools and place where you cut the chicken for preparation. Wear a mask if you want to..\n\nThe bird flu is here, and it just made cooking a whole lot harder. But the good news is: you can still eat at your favorite KFC... =P
254869
Viruses mutate.  What is a harmless virus today could change a gene-pair on its DNA and be a real killer tomorrow...  Same reason some diseases go away - like the flu pandemic that killed millions in 1918 or so - we haven't seen it since.\n\nThis is what is scary about the bird flu - right now humans only get it from direct contact with infected birds - that would mena that since most of us do not raise our own fowl anymore most of us were safe, right?  Wrong... If a person has it, and it mutates in that person's body to allow person-to-person transmission, the human population is at risk from other humans... and if it is spread easily, it could be huge.
369646
The flu virus family is a big one. Some are characteristically bird flus, others are swine flus, others are human flus, ...\n\nThere's a considerable similarity amongst them (a family, right!)  and under some circumstances, a bird flu can swap bits with a pig flu or a human flu, producing a new variant. It's likely that this happens most often in SE Asia where duck ponds, people (including children) and pigs all live in very close quarters. This is probably the way the major flu pandemics (remember the Hong Kong flu?) in humans get started. \n\nUsually, bird flus don't bother people or pigs, and vice versa. But sometimes, there's enough of a crossover that a bird flu acquires the ability to infect people and spread easily. It happened in 1918, and that flu epidemic spread rapidly and killed something on the order of 40 or 50 million around the world in about 18 months. We know it was a bird type flu because the virus has been reconstructed in a research lab. These guys went looking for folks who'd died from that flu in the Arctic North and been buried in the permafrost. It took more than a decade, but it's recently become clear this flu, the 'Spanish flu', was a bird type flu. \n\nin the case of the current avian flu, it's not yet (if it ever will) acquired the ability to spread easily from human to human. It seems that you must be in close contact with infected birds to have much of a chance of catching it. But if you do, it's very dangerous. The mortality reat in the first few hundred reported cases was something like 50% and that's very very high. More recent cases in Europe seem to have a lower mortality rate, but that may primarily be an artifact of better care (eg, learning from prior cases). \n\nThere is little understanding of what changes would be required for this bird flu variant to become human infectious. There has been some speculation that it may be a few as two different gene changes. And perhaps the change(s) will never happen; no one has much of a real idea about the chances. And it's possible that, if it becomes infectious in humans, it will lose the lethality it currently has in humans. Or not, which is the scary case. \n\nTreatment for flu viruses is traditionally best via vaccine. However, since flu viruses change regularly and the vaccines are typically variant specific, it hasn't been possible to get it precisely right. Which variant will be the major issue in the coming flu season is hard to predict, but having guessed, it takes quite a while to produce the vaccine. It's a bit of a guess and isn't always gotten right. The avian flu is no different. \n\nA vaccine against the current variant would be pointless for humans, as it doesn't infect us very well. And if the virus changes to become infectious in humans, we don't really know how to develop a vaccine against a virus variant we haven't yet seen. And after we see it, it will take some months to produce the vaccine for it. \n\nWhat are the chances of drug treatment against a human infective variant of this avian flu? Not good, just as there aren't very good drugs against any virus infection. We have one or two drugs, of which Tamiflu is thought to be the best of a not very good lot. Governments have begun stockpiling it, against possible need. \n\n======\n\npossibilities\n\n1) The virus never acquires the ability to infect humans easily and to be highly contagious. If so, the current plague among birds will eventually burn itself out and there won't be much further issue. \n\n2) The virus will never acquire the ability to be highly contagious, but will learn to infect people much better than it can manage now and will retain its lethality. More people will die before the pandemic among birds finally burns out. Death toll might be in the thousands or hundreds of thousands, as compared with hundreds to date. it think this unlikely as the flu viruses have all had excellent c
247424
It is highly unlikely. Bird flu is easily transmitted among birds and so far only transferred with difficulty among humans. The human victims have lived near chickens and so far the flu has not been transmited past one person. The concern is that the virus might change so that it is more easy for humans to catch it. If there is any suspicion that a bird may have bird flu, it is killed and being stored in a freezer after death would be likely to kill the virus.
1119867
Europe set to announce task force on bird flu\nEU - Europe will shortly unveil a task force for coordinating the continent's fight against bird flu, a leading European virologist said at a conference on H5N1 avian influenza.  Reuters - Thursday, June 29, 2006\nEconomic impact of bird flu hinges on panic - experts\nWASHINGTON - The severity of a global economic slowdown caused by a bird flu pandemic, estimated to slash 1 to 12 percent off world output, largely depends on how people and governments react, economists said on Wednesday. Bloomberg - Thursday, June 29, 2006\nSevere Flu Pandemic May Cost Up to $2 Trillion, World Bank Says\nA flu outbreak killing 70 million people worldwide may cause global economic losses of as much as $2 trillion, a World Bank official said. \nA slump in tourism, transportation and retail sales, as well as workplace absenteeism and lower productivity, may cause the world economy to shrink by 3.1 percent, said Milan Brahmbhatt, a lead adviser in the East Asia region, citing a study by the Washington-based World Bank. The study predicted a surge in corporate bankruptcies in companies with a high level of debt to equity, such as airlines.  Reuters - Thursday, June 29, 2006\nSingapore lifts ban on Malaysian poultry imports\nSINGAPORE - Singapore will lift a ban on imports of poultry and poultry products from neighbouring Malaysia after Malaysia declared that it is free from bird flu, officials said on Wednesday. \nAfter a three-month suspension, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) said it will lift the poultry import ban on the northern states of Perak and Selangor with effect from June 30.  The China Post - Wednesday, June 28, 2006\nClosing borders would be last bird flu option, U.S. official says\nUS - Closing U.S. borders would be the last option to combat the spread of bird flu, a senior State Department official said Monday. \nIt is far down the list of remedies because it would be unlikely to decrease the number of cases, would interrupt essential services and disrupt lawful border crossings, said Paula J. Dobriansky, undersecretary of state for democracy and global affairs. Bloomberg - Wednesday, June 28, 2006\nBird Flu Fatalities Almost Triple, Spurring Need for Treatments\nBird flu fatalities have almost tripled this year as the lethal virus spread across Asia, Europe and Africa, prompting calls for increased supplies of medicines to fight the virus and any pandemic it might spawn.  AND - Tuesday, June 27, 2006\nFear of bird flu panics Zambians\nZAMBIA - The mysterious death of wild birds this week has panicked Zambians, fearing the arrival of avian influenza in Zambia long-recognised as vulnerable to the deadly H5N1 virus. \nPoultry Association of Zambia executive director Mathews Ngosa said a delay by the government in confirming whether Zambia had become the seventh African country to suffer an outbreak has "killed our industry as people are now avoiding eating chickens".  People's Daily Online - Tuesday, June 27, 2006\nBangladesh takes emergency program to prevent avian influenza\nBANGLADESH - Bangladeshi government has taken up an emergency program to prevent spreading of avian influenza, widely known as bird flu virus, in Bangladesh, private news agency UNB reported Monday.  Food Production Daily - Monday, June 26, 2006\nScientists issue caution against mass poultry vaccination\nEU - With confirmed cases of human-to-human transmission of the avian influenza virus, scientists are now warning that mass vaccination of domestic poultry may hinder detection of the deadly H5N1 strain of the disease.  The Guardian - Sunday, June 25, 2006\nFirst cases found of avian flu caught from wild \nAZERBAIJAN - Four people have died after catching avian flu from infected swans, in the first confirmed cases of the disease being passed from wild birds, scientists have revealed.  Cidrap - Saturday, June 24, 2006\nH5N1 mutation allegedly showed human transmission in Indonesia\nINDONE
328730
Best flu remedy\n\nLaboratory tests show Sambucol® neutralises Common and Avian Flu Virus H5N1 \nAdded: (Thu Jan 19 2006) \n\nNew research, carried out by Retroscreen Virology has indicated that \nSambucol®, a patented formula, may fight the virulent Avian Flu virus. Results have been presented yesterday, Wednesday, in a press conference held in the Royal Society of Medicine, London. Speakers included Prof. Hannoun, Emeritus Professor at the Pasteur Institute and Dr. Mumcuoglu, developer of Sambucol®. \n\nLaboratory trials held in a leading research institute, Retroscreen Virology \nLtd, associated with the University of London found Sambucol® to be at least \n99% effective against the Avian Flu virus H5N1. Sambucol® was effective at \nsignificantly neutralising the infectivity of the virus in cell cultures. These \nresults will also be presented during the International Conference on Bird Flu: \n“The First Pandemic of the 21st Century. A Central Role for Antivirals”, to be \nheld at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital on January 19th-20th 2006. \n\nDr. Madeleine Mumcuoglu, is looking into further investigations into the \nactivity of Sambucol® against Avian Flu on a wider scale. \n\nIn an earlier study (1995) Sambucol® was found to be effective against a wide range of influenza strains. Laboratory studies conducted at the Hebrew \nUniversity – Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem demonstrated the activity \nof Sambucol® against human, swine, and avian influenza strains. \nSambucol®'s efficacy was also demonstrated in two double blind, placebo \ncontrolled clinical studies. Sambucol® was shown to cut the duration and \nseverity of the common flu by up to half. \n\nENDS \n\nNotes to editors; \nSambucol® is based on an active substance isolated from the black elderberry. \nManufactured by Razei Bar Industries Israel, Sambucol® is available in 17 \ncountries and in the UK is sold in Tesco, leading chemists, independent health \nfood stores and wholesalers from £8.49. \n\nFor photography please visit the following site and enter the log in details: \nFTP address: ftp://pixelit.co.il \nuser name: ftp_razeibar \npassword: 63+84675 \n\n\nFor further press information please contact: Francesca Gaffey/Cheryl Davies, \nCommunique Public Relations, Waterside, No2 Canal Street, Manchester, M1 \n3HE. Tel: 0161 242 5120/0161 242 5108 Fax: 0161 228 7391 E-mail: \nfrancesca.gaffey@communiquepr.co.uk cheryl.davies@communiquepr.co.uk \n\nFor research information please visit: Retroscreen Virology Ltd. at: \nhttp://www.retroscreen.com/ \n\nFor product information please visit: \nRazei Bar Industries (1996) Ltd. At: www.sambucol.com
304617
I don't think they are "banning them" but they may be discouraging the use of them.  Bird feeders could bring in birds that are possible carriers of bird flu. If you want more information, contact your state veterinarian division and they will send you all information pertaining to the bird flu; IE. where it comes from and how to prevent the spread of the bird flu.  Any state will give you that information free of charge.
316579
No. Bird flu only kills birds, plus about 100 unfortunate humans to date.  But if it mutates into a form that can be transmitted from human-to-human, then a lot of people might get sick (10%? 20%? who knows).  The pandemic would last until practically every person on earth had been exposed to the virus.  That's what happened last time around, with the "Spanish Flu" epidemic of 1918-1919.
592668
Keep up to date on bird flu (don't rely on a WIKI!)\n\nSee the World Health Organisation site:\n\nhttp://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/en/\n\nIf you prefer an American site, see the Centers for Disease Control:\n\nhttp://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/index.htm
623472
Here's what's recommended for the bird flu -\n\nface masks\ngloves\na complete medical kit\npowered gatorade\nbottled water supplies\nMREs (meals ready to eat)\nTamiflu\n\nGet your dr to write a script for Tamiflu & set it aside\nin case you do contract the flu. If at all possible, have\na prescription for every member of your household. The flu shot is useless in this case. Use the face masks & gloves if you absolutely have to go out amongst people who might be exposed to the flu. If you have to stay in your home for three months, you will need to survive - hence the stockpile of water & food that can be eaten without cooking (what if we lose power?) Clean Water, especially, is essential. I know this sounds like a strange suggestion, but read The Stand by Stephen King - there were a lot of survival tips in there that I would not have thought of - it deals with pandemic & gives you a different perspective on what life would/could be like if millions & millions die. Most of this is common sense, but a lot of people lack in that department. I've been following the progress of the bird flu for a while now & am anxious because I don't want my children to get it, so I looked up all the things we'd need to survive. I hope it doesn't come to pandemic, because America is so not prepared. Good luck!
718190
After consulation with members of the health protection agency (UK), i disagree with the last guy to answer. The general consensus of opinion is that bird flu will mutate, and it is obly a matter of time. However, it may mutate and lose its virility; it may end up no more annoying than a cold. It may have even already mutated, but we just havent noticed it in the population...\n\nHow do i plan to prepare? the best advice is to take any flu jabs OFFERED, and have a few extra tin goods in the house, so you can stay inside longer than normal, but there is no need to panic buy.\n\nBird flu has currently got a death rate of 56%, which is very high for any disease, and avain flu's have a habit of mutating into a mammalian form, so we should be on our guard.
269756
As of now, several answers to your questions are unknown. While this disease has been in the news for quite a while, it is still a new disease, and we don't know much about it yet. Only time will tell what is going to happen, and what the effects of this disease are.\n\nHere is what is known about it:\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_flu
134487
Bird Flu is transmitted in the respiratory secretions of infected birds.  It is unlikely you'd ever contract the disease unless you had very close contact with live or recently deceased chickens.  Cooking kills the virus.  Currently (thank goodness), it cannot be transmitted from human to human like regular flu can.
501036
Yes, I do believe there is something to the MMR link with autism. My son has autism,and I refuse immunizations, he has never received them, so I don't believe it is the sole cause of it. Some of the things you heard here are wrong. The flu shot still has thimerasol in it. While immunizations are no longer MANUFACTURED using thimerasol, it does still exist. Not only did we send thimerasol-tainted immunizations to other countries to spread autism there, we do still have it here. If you don't check with your dr., or request thimerasol-free immunizations, you still run the risk of dumping mercury into your child. The idea that all these studies 'prove' that there's no link? First, these are people who stand to lose a great deal of money by admitting a link to autism, both because of the law suits from families who have been injured by the shots, and to the people like me who will then refuse the shots simply because once you're lied to your not as likely to go back and trust again. Second, the reports that are saying there is a link, are coming from people who are in a position to conduct these kinds of tests because they were affected by autism, and want answers. I trust them more than I do a profession who used to tell patients with asthma and bronchitis to SMOKE. Now, we know better. How do we know in 30 years, after study upon study, they finally admit to the truth. How many kids were needlessly exposed in that amount of time? Also, here's one most people don't know: There was a report written by the CDC in which they admitted that the amount of mercury being put into the shots were many times about what is considered safe. That report was then suppressed, because of the panic it would cause, and because it would show people how untrustworthy they are. People need to do the research before blindly trust a system that has continuously lied to us, and change their minds from one year to the next as to what is safe or not. Oh, and the theory that the reason why there's more cases today is because of better diagnosis? Don't believe that,either. All the cases that they are looking at to say that there is a link are kids. If the 'better dx was the case, then we would have so many adults coming forward, getting tested, and finding out they have autism. Sorry, don't fall for any of that.\n   Do we know what causes it? Not really. At the same time, we can't rule anything out, either. My belief is that they are born with a TENDENCY to develop autism when exposed to certain environmental factors, like mercury exposure. In my child's case, it was brought out when we moved.
736908
Hepatitis B is highly sexually transmitted. It is very possible to pass it onto the mother, who could in turn pass it onto the child. There is post exposure medication that could be given, but it would have to be given within a certain time frame.  The mother would have to be tested to see if she has HBV, and then to see if it is chronic, or if it resolved on it's own.  80% of people who become exposed to it clear it on their own. The rest go on to have chronic liver disease and will need treatment.  Treatment can help people clear it, but I'm not sure what the success rate is (I'm more familiar with Hep C statistics). Best wishes.