Are there bird flu viruses, harmless to birds, that might be much worse for humans than the H5N1 virus?
832265
A transgenic virus carried by birds and the birds unaffected by it. You should be writing horror stories. Click the link below.
91436
Our service is not involved with raising chickens or poultry, so they will be fine.  So far, the avian flu is only contracted from direct contact with infected/sick birds.  It has not mutated to a form that is direct human to human transmission.
258778
Most of our info is very speculative as of now, as when it comes to future mutations of the bird flue, all we have are our fears. Really, we're worried about a recurrance of the Spanish Flue, which killed millions in the early twentieth century. As of now however, there has been only one case of bird flue transmitted between people, the rest has been from bird to poultry worker (total infected is around 100 people I believe). The big deal is, from the infected we've seen, it has a 50% mortality rate, and this is before it's even fully evolved to attack humans.\n\nHowever, a good deal of this is speculation, as it is easily possible that many more have been infected and fealt no adverse effects, or nothing more than a cold. All the cases we now know about were severe enough to warrant hospitalization, but what if there are many more that never had to go to the hospital, and so we never learned about them?\n\nBut, with 2 mutations left to go to be fully suited to attack humans, the avian flue (H1N1) it can't be long until we know for sure.\n\nTo prevent this, people are attempting to quarentine and kill ay infected birds nd poultry, but as you can imagine, this is easier said than done. We're also stocking up on Tamiflu, which some say is our best shot at an antiviral for fighting this thing.\n\nThe Spanish Flu ended when it burned itself out. It moved so quickly that it killed off the more suceptable humans, and the tougher ones became immune. It had nowhere left to go, and died off. If the avian flu is anything like it, the same will happen, though our use of antivirals may hamper this.\n\nThese pandemics are a natural part of population control and evolution. Who can say what we do to our species when we do all we can to fight it, and keep it from having an impact upon us?
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(m)\n\nThe symptoms of bird flu (Avian influenza) are\nSore throat\nCough\nFever\nPneumonia\nRespiratory distress\nRespiratory failure\nLife threatening complications\nThe symptoms of bird flu can depend on which virus caused the infection. If you have flu like symptoms the chances of you having Bird flu are very very very very small. Bird flu is a virus that primarily affects birds. Humans have caught the disease but only in a few very rare cases in the Far East and in Turkey. All people who have caught bird flu had close contact with infected birds.
357102
i think so.not only that i think H5N1 was manufactured in a lab.why Else would there be a threat from birds? can you imagine a morning without birds chirping?if we loose that we've lost the morning songs that our children will never hear and maybe what we re taking for granted.
352110
As a general rule viruses are more deadly, more infectious, and harder to cure.  Some bacteria like Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Tuberculosis), Bacillus anthracis (Anthrax), Yersina pestis (Black Plague) can all be more deadly than a common cold (Rhinovirus).  But viruses not bacteria are what occupy the highest level of containment, level four.  Viruses like small pox.
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Key Facts About Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) and Avian Influenza A (H5N1) Virus\nE-mail this page\nPrinter-friendly version\nWhat You Should Know About Avian Flu\nKey Facts\nInfections in Humans\nQuestions & Answers\nCurrent Situation\nThis fact sheet provides general information about avian influenza (bird flu) and information about one type of bird flu, called avian influenza A (H5N1), that has caused infections in birds in Asia and Europe and in humans in Asia. Also see Questions and Answers on the CDC website and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on the World Health Organization (WHO) website.\n\nAvian Influenza (Bird Flu)\nAvian influenza in birds\nAvian influenza is an infection caused by avian (bird) influenza (flu) viruses. These influenza viruses occur naturally among birds. Wild birds worldwide carry the viruses in their intestines, but usually do not get sick from them. However, avian influenza is very contagious among birds and can make some domesticated birds, including chickens, ducks, and turkeys, very sick and kill them.\n\nInfected birds shed influenza virus in their saliva, nasal secretions, and feces. Susceptible birds become infected when they have contact with contaminated secretions or excretions or with surfaces that are contaminated with secretions or excretions from infected birds. Domesticated birds may become infected with avian influenza virus through direct contact with infected waterfowl or other infected poultry, or through contact with surfaces (such as dirt or cages) or materials (such as water or feed) that have been contaminated with the virus.\n\nInfection with avian influenza viruses in domestic poultry causes two main forms of disease that are distinguished by low and high extremes of virulence. The “low pathogenic” form may go undetected and usually causes only mild symptoms (such as ruffled feathers and a drop in egg production). However, the highly pathogenic form spreads more rapidly through flocks of poultry. This form may cause disease that affects multiple internal organs and has a mortality rate that can reach 90-100% often within 48 hours.\n\nHuman infection with avian influenza viruses\nThere are many different subtypes of type A influenza viruses. These subtypes differ because of changes in certain proteins on the surface of the influenza A virus (hemagglutinin [HA] and neuraminidase [NA] proteins). There are 16 known HA subtypes and 9 known NA subtypes of influenza A viruses. Many different combinations of HA and NA proteins are possible. Each combination represents a different subtype. All known subtypes of influenza A viruses can be found in birds.\n\nUsually, “avian influenza virus” refers to influenza A viruses found chiefly in birds, but infections with these viruses can occur in humans. The risk from avian influenza is generally low to most people, because the viruses do not usually infect humans. However, confirmed cases of human infection from several subtypes of avian influenza infection have been reported since 1997. Most cases of avian influenza infection in humans have resulted from contact with infected poultry (e.g., domesticated chicken, ducks, and turkeys) or surfaces contaminated with secretion/excretions from infected birds. The spread of avian influenza viruses from one ill person to another has been reported very rarely, and transmission has not been observed to continue beyond one person.\n\n“Human influenza virus” usually refers to those subtypes that spread widely among humans. There are only three known A subtypes of influenza viruses (H1N1, H1N2, and H3N2) currently circulating among humans. It is likely that some genetic parts of current human influenza A viruses came from birds originally. Influenza A viruses are constantly changing, and they might adapt over time to infect and spread among humans.\n\nDuring an outbreak of avian influenza among poultry, there is a possible risk to people who have contact with infected birds or surfaces that
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In humans, avian flu viruses cause similar symptoms to other types of flu. [21] These include fever, cough, sore throat, muscle aches, conjunctivitis and, in severe cases, severe breathing problems and pneumonia that may be fatal. The severity of the infection will depend to a large part on the state of the infected person's immune system and if the victim has been exposed to the strain before, and is therefore partially immune. In one case, a boy with H5N1 experienced diarrhea followed rapidly by a coma without developing respiratory or flu-like symptoms, suggesting non-standard symptoms.
276657
Bird flu cannot go from one person to another, in fact only people to have died of bird flu have worked directly in the bird industry. If the bird flu mutates then it will be transmittable between people.
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Okay the first thing is that currently the brid flu is onyl contagoius from bird to human, not human to human. until the flu can be spread human to human we are okay. But that is what scientists fear. \n\nIs a bird flu pandemic imminent?\n\nShort answer: probably not. But there are many unknowns involved, making accurate prediction impossible.\n\nSooner or later, pandemic flu will happen. Flu pandemics sweep the globe from time to time as new flu bugs emerge. These bugs cause global epidemics -- pandemics -- because humans have little or no immunity to these viruses. Sometimes, as in the war-torn world of 1918, it's a terrible plague. Sometimes, as in 1957 and 1968, it's relatively mild.\n\nBird flu is still a bird disease. The H5N1 bird flu in Asia does not spread well from person to person. It's a leading contender to be the next pandemic flu bug because it has caused an unprecedented epidemic in poultry and wild birds across Asia and Eastern Europe. But nobody knows for sure whether this will be the flu that causes the next human pandemic.\n\nBird flu could become a human flu in two ways.\n\nIf a person were infected with a human flu and the bird flu at the same time, the two viruses could swap genes -- reassort -- and a human version of bird flu could emerge. This is what happened in the last two flu pandemics in 1957 and 1968.\n\nBird flu could also evolve into a form adapted to humans, as was the case in the 1918 flu pandemic. There's evidence the H5N1 bird flu virus has begun this process, but scientists say it isn't yet very far along. Nevertheless, a few H5N1 viruses isolated from humans have acquired some key 1918-like mutations.\n\nAt a World Health Organization news conference in May 2005, Klaus Stöhr, PhD, DVM, project leader for the WHO's Global Influenza Program, was asked whether a bird flu pandemic is imminent.\n\n"With this virus we have had very many surprises; we have had a very steep learning curve," Stöhr said. "We are seeing that it is changing very rapidly. We have also seen that it is not reassorting as everybody thought 18 months ago. So we do not know if a pandemic can occur next week or next year, or perhaps if another virus is going to cause a pandemic. We should simply continue with our pandemic preparedness."\n\nIs there a cure for bird flu?\n\nNo. There's no cure for any kind of flu. \n\nThe H5N1 bird flu bug has been particularly deadly for people unlucky enough to catch it from poultry. But if the bug learns to spread among humans, it almost certainly won't be as deadly as it is now, says Ira Longini, PhD, professor of biostatistics at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health in Atlanta.\n\n"Avian H5N1 looks like a [very high] case fatality in humans. But this has never been true of any human strain," Longini told WebMD. "There has never been any human influenza virus that has behaved that way in recorded or even unrecorded history. The case fatality of even highly virulent flu strains are a couple of deaths per 10,000 people."
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As it stands right now, most people are safe from the bird flu. The other answers are right in that you have to handle infected birds to get the virus. Most of the time, we are safe from a virus that is carried by another species. Occasionally, however, a virus mutates in such a way that it is able to "jump species" and infect humans. When this happens, our immune system is little prepared to defend us from the unusual-type virus. The good news is that right now it can only pass from birds to humans. If it should mutate to the point that humans can pass it amongst themselves, then it will likely become pandemic. Therefore, the fears that people are having are based on "scientific possibility" and the government is responding to those fears; not creating the fear.
102892
at this point, I am very concerned since only insects outnumber the birds in the world and they are airborn. The mutation could occur at any moment and infect humans. This is how the flu of 1917 or so occured and spread rapidly
198400
Yes it is. \nThere is a hysteria going around now that's ridiculous, and you get ignorant answers galore. \nBird flu transmission so from a sick or dead bird to a human handling the bird. NOT any eggs!!! The virus does not pass into the egg. \nEvery single human who got sick handled birds. \nAnother thing - you boil and eat the eggs - and they go into your stomach - here we have heat treatment (boiling) and an acid bath (stomach).\n"...When a bird is infected with bird flu, it sheds the flu virus in its faeces, saliva and mucus. Other birds become infected by eating or inhaling the virus.\nThe virus can infect people who are in close contact with infected birds - for example by people inhaling dried faeces that have become trampled into dust or stuck to the feathers or other parts of the body of the infected bird.1\nPeople cannot catch bird flu from eating cooked chickens..."
414099
The Bird Flu is the H5N1 flu virus. Unfortunately, you cannot tell the difference if you have the regular flu or the Bird Flu because their symptoms are quite the same, except that the Bird Flu results in death after a week or so. Be very careful, it's dangerous and is spreading accross the world at an alarming pace.
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Bird flu is a viral infection that infect avain species. At the moment it cannot be passed onto humans. But obviously the major concern is to poultry farmers who have alrge stocks of chickens. \n\nIt may also be able to mutate so that the virus can pass onto humans and it has a chance to do so the more birds it infects. So preventing the spread is the best thing we can do just now.
1111305
Avian flu (also "bird flu", "avian influenza", etc), technically means "flu from Influenza A viruses that have adapted to birds", but is sometimes mistakenly used to refer to flu from any Influenza A viruses (rather than ones adapted to birds, e.g. Dog flu, Horse flu, Human flu, Swine flu), or (also incorrectly) even the virus itself. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]\n\nThe only known "avian flu" viruses are Influenzavirus A. All subtypes (but not all strains of all subtypes) of Influenza A are adapted to birds, which is why for many purposes avian flu virus is the Influenza A virus (note that the "A" does not stand for "avian").\n\nAs of 2006, "avian flu" is being commonly used to refer to a particular subtype of Influenza A, H5N1, which is currently the world's major flu pandemic threat.\n\nA few examples of correct and incorrect usage of the term "avian flu" itself follow. For more scientific information about avian flu, see the subtype links towards the bottom of this article.\nIn technical contexts, correct usage of terms is necessary because precise distinctions are the essence of the communication.\n\n"Avian influenza strains are those well adapted to birds" [1] \n"An outbreak of influenza A (H5N1), also known as 'avian flu' or 'bird flu,' has been reported in several countries throughout Asia." [8] \n"Avian influenza virus usually refers to influenza A viruses found chiefly in birds, but infections can occur in humans."[9] \n"Of the few avian influenza viruses that have crossed the species barrier to infect humans, H5N1 has caused the largest number of cases of severe disease and death in humans. Unlike normal seasonal influenza, where infection causes only mild respiratory symptoms in most people, the disease caused by H5N1 follows an unusually aggressive clinical course, with rapid deterioration and high fatality." Seasonal influenza is human flu.[10] \n"avian influenza HA bind alpha 2-3 sialic acid receptors while human influenza HA bind alpha 2-6 sialic acid receptors. Swine influenza viruses have the ability to bind both types of sialic acid receptors." [11] \nSometimes a virus contains both avian adapted genes and human adapted genes. Both the H2N2 and H3N2 pandemic strains contained avian flu virus RNA segments. "While the pandemic human influenza viruses of 1957 (H2N2) and 1968 (H3N2) clearly arose through reassortment between human and avian viruses, the influenza virus causing the 'Spanish flu' in 1918 appears to be entirely derived from an avian source (Belshe 2005)." [2] \n[edit]\nIllustrative examples of imprecise usage\nIn nontechnical contexts, imprecise usage of terms is typical when discussing complex things.\n\n"A 1,000 square mile quarantine zone to combat an outbreak of bird flu was lifted in Scotland today - despite the spread of a similar disease south of the border." Here "bird flu" is used to mean "Asian lineage HPAI A(H5N1) flu" (which is a bird flu) and contrasted with flu from an avian adapted strain of H7N3 (which is also a bird flu). (Click the links for details.) [12]
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No, I don't think so. My understanding is you would have to be living in very close surroundings with poultry that have the virus, or in close contact with live birds.\n\nHowever, I guess we'll be discovering new stuff about bird flu for years to come.