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Bird Flu: What all You Need to Know as a
Consumer
by Prabhat Kumar
Jan. 29, 2008 |
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What
is Bird Flu: Avian influenza or bird flu is
an infection caused by avian (bird) influenza
(flu) viruses. Wild birds worldwide carry these
influenza 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. A particular strain of the virus,
Influenza A (H5N1), has become common among
birds in Asia, who shed the virus in their
saliva, nasal secretions and faeces. More than
90 per cent of birds who get H5N1 die, and
mortality among humans is also high. Cases of
bird flu in humans have been happening
sporadically since the late 1990s. Most of these
cases have resulted from people having direct or
close contact with H5N1-infected poultry or
H5N1-contaminated surfaces. Currently, it does
not pose a major threat as it cannot pass easily
from one human to another. Nonetheless, because
all influenza viruses have the ability to
change, scientists are concerned that H5N1 virus
one day could be able to infect humans and
spread easily from one person to another.
Because these viruses do not commonly infect
humans, there is little or no immune protection
against them in the human population. If H5N1
virus were to gain the capacity to spread easily
from person to person, an influenza pandemic
(worldwide outbreak of disease) could begin.
Symptoms: Symptoms of avian influenza in
humans have ranged from typical human
influenza-like symptoms (e.g., fever, cough,
sore throat, and muscle aches) to headache,
chest pain, eye infections, pneumonia, severe
respiratory diseases (such as acute respiratory
distress), and other severe and life-threatening
complications.
Precautions: Currently, there is no
scientific evidence that people have been
infected with bird flu by eating safely handled
and properly cooked chicken or eggs. Even if
chicken and eggs were to be contaminated with
the virus, proper cooking would kill it. In
fact, recent studies have shown that the cooking
methods that are already recommended by the USDA
and the FDA for chicken and eggs to prevent
other infections will destroy influenza viruses
as well. Some of the precautions which people
should take to avoid bird flu are as follows:
1) Buying only healthy and alive chickens with
smooth furs through out its body.
2) Washing hands with soap and warm water for at
least 20 seconds before and after handling raw
chicken and eggs.
3) Cleaning cutting boards and other utensils
with soap and hot water to keep raw poultry from
contaminating other foods.
4) Cooking chicken to a temperature of at least
74 degrees Celsius.
5) Cooking eggs until whites and yolks are firm.
Control: Most H5N1 viruses that have caused
human illness and death appear to be resistant
to amantadine and rimantadine, two antiviral
medications commonly used for treatment of
patients with influenza. Two other antiviral
medications, oseltamivir and zanamivir, would
probably work to treat influenza caused by H5N1
virus, but additional studies are needed to
demonstrate their current and ongoing
effectiveness. However, On April 17, 2007, the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
announced its approval of the first vaccine to
prevent human infection with one strain of the
avian influenza (bird flu) H5N1 virus. The
vaccine, produced by sanofi pasteur, Inc., has
been purchased by the federal government for the
U.S. Strategic National Stockpile; it will be
distributed by public-health officials if
needed. ICAR, India's top agricultural research
organization, developed a vaccine against bird
flu indigenously in a record four months in its
High Security Animal Disease Laboratory, in
Bhopal, which is the only lab in India to
conduct tests for the H5N1 variant of avian
influenza. This vaccine is for birds, not
humans. Indian government needs to improve its
infrastructure for disease surveillance and
reporting system based on the lines of FoodNet
of USA’s CDC. There should be proper
implementation of safe handling practices for
poultry growers and sellers to prevent selling
of infected birds to the consumers.
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