Virus Hunting - Bird Flu - H5N1

The fact is, most people are only now becoming aware that a Flu threat exists and that is because of the massive news coverage that bird flu is starting to get... because scientists, doctors and politicians are scared . But it could what about other viruses, there is many threat out there.

Influenza pandemic threat: current situation
Given the unpredictable behaviour of influenza viruses, neither the timing nor the severity of the next pandemic can be predicted with any certainty.
Difference between a epidemic and a pandemic
An epidemic is generally a widespread disease that affects many individuals in a population.

Free Download: What is Influenza

Since 2004 it has ripped through poultry and wild bird populations across Eurasia, and had a 53% mortality rate in the first 147 people it is known to have infected. Health authorities fear this strain, or its descendent, could cause a lethal new flu pandemic in people with the potential to kill billions.

Read More: Instant Expert: Bird Flu

* There are at least 15 different types of avian influenza that routinely infect birds around the world.

* The H5N1 virus was originally transmitted from birds to humans in 1997, during an outbreak of avian influenza among poultry in Hong Kong. The virus caused severe respiratory illness in 18 people, six of whom died. The mass culling of poultry contained the disease.

* Humans can catch avian influenza through close contact with infected birds. People won't become infected by eating chicken, as long as the meat is cooked properly.

* Birds excrete the virus in their feces, which dries, becomes pulverized, and is then inhaled. The virus can survive for up to four days at 71 degrees Fahrenheit and more than 30 days at 32 degrees Fahrenheit. If frozen, it can survive indefinitely.
World Health Organization || BBC News

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