What is a Avian Flu?

You may have heard something about the bird flu on the news in the past year or so. Some information may have been alarming. Some may have seemed so unbelievable that it didn't even seem credible. The truth is that scientists are stating that the human race is due for a pandemic flu to strike sometime in the foreseeable future; a pandemic against which we have no immunity.

The current flu virus that has scientists concerned has been a bird flu virus that infected humans when they lived near infected birds. The current outbreak is a type of avian flu referred to as H5N1. It has been confirmed among poultry and other migratory type birds. There have been a small number of humans with H5N1 (cases) in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa. Most of these cases resulted from direct or close contact with infected poultry. Spread of avian flu from person-to-person has not been confirmed. At this time, the concern is that should the avian flu virus (H5N1) change in such a way that it will be able to spread easily from person-to-person, a pandemic could develop. Currently, the avian flu H5N1 virus has not spread from person-to-person therefore there has been no occurrence of pandemic flu from this virus yet in the world.

Because people can transmit the flu prior to feeling sick or showing symptoms, if the "Bird Flu" mutates to be easily transmitted from human to human, it may spread worldwide in a few weeks. Tracking the virus as closely as the scientists are capable of doing at this time will help to give the world a jump on preparation. It is currently believed that once the disease mutates, we will have a "minimum" of time to implement plans.