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Should I Be Worried About the Bird Flu?

The Bird Flu, or the Avian Flu, has become something that is talked about heavily in the news media. That is because it has fast become one of the world’s largest concerns as far as health matters go. Many people have little knowledge of what the Bird Flu is, but hear so much on the television and radio that it is worrying them. Avian Flu has not gotten to the point where it will have an immediate affect on large groups of people. That does not mean the situation won’t change. The Bird Flu could quickly change its mutation and conditions around the world could change rapidly. That has yet to be seen.

Today, the H5N1 virus, which is the Bird Flu, has not become something that can infect humans easily. In most cases, it can only be something that is transmitted with the help of a bird. That means that the Bird Flu, at this point, has only been capable of being passed from one bird to the next bird. It can also be spread from a bird to a human being that is working closely with infected birds.

Except for one isolated case of human to human transmission that was reported in Indonesia between close family members, the Avian Flu is not believed to have made the mutation into a virus that can be spread from human to human. If and when it does  occur, there will be much more concern by world powers because of our globalized economy and frequent travel between world countries. There is no way of knowing how fast the Avian Influenza could be spread by people traveling on airplanes.

The Bird Flu has had human cases only in a handful of countries. As of this writing, it has only been found in Azerbaijan, Cambodia, People’s Republic of China, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Thailand, Turkey, and Vietnam. The Bird Flu was first recorded in 2003 in Vietnam. Three people reportedly had the Bird Flu and all three died. In current reported cases, only about 57% of those who have become infected have died from the Avian Influenza. This is a scary and concerning number.

Since there are currently no vaccines to prevent the Avian Flu, people are encouraged to practice good hygiene. Like any other type of virus, frequent washing of hands, not becoming exposed to others that may be sick and caring for yourself well, can help prevent or delay the transmission of all types of influenza.

Since the Avian Flu has not yet transferred from person to person on a wide basis, you are not at great risk unless you work closely with birds that could be infected or could become infected by the Bird Flu virus. What the Bird Flu holds in store for us is yet to be known.