David Yee
Avian Flu Avian Flu is a virus infection. Avian Flu is most commonly found within birds and his highly contagious. Birds with Avian Flu are seen to be at a high risk of death for it is very deadly. Cases of Avian Flu in humans have been reported since 1997. These cases of H5N1 are usually caused by direct contact with contaminated domestic birds. This includes contact with contaminated eggs, ducks, ducks, chicken, and other types of poultry. The Avian Flu is a recent viral infectious disease, which has many subtypes to it. Despite its many subtypes, there are only three currently known which are, H1N1, H1N2 and H3N2. This disease that is going around the human population is evolving. This means that over time the H5N1 virus may be able to adapt to its environment and infect a much greater number of the human population than it is already infecting. Symptoms of the Avian Flu have a wide variety. Some symptoms are not so sever such as fever, cough, sore throat, and muscle aches. The more severe symptoms include eye infections and pneumonia. The Avian Flu is said to be treatable with prescription medicines, but over time this may not be able to hold true. This is caused by the virus’s ability to evolve and adapt to the human host. Many outbreaks of the H5N1 virus have been fatal to close to have of the hosts.
The start of Avian Flu is said to begin in Hong Kong. Research done in the 1960’s and 70’s have revealed that the migration of waterfowls like ducks and geese to Hong Kong have started the spread of Avian Flu in China. These birds are not affected because of the adaptation of the virus to the birds. Contact with these waterfowls has been the cause of the first outbreaks of Avian Flu. After the human to bird encounter, the human tohuman pandemic can begin by having contact with others who happen to be contaminated. Most cases of Avian Flu have been reported in China, the Near East, Africa, and parts of Europe. Most of the infestations have occurred from being in contact with infected poultry. Avian Flu is a treatable disease and also attempted to be preventable. Drugs have been made to prevent and treat the spread of Avian Flu, but some drugs are now worthless. The H5N1 virus has adapted to amantadine and rimantadine medicines for the treatment and prevention of this virus but other drugs such as tamiflu and relenza are said to be a reliable source of care for the virus. There is currently no guaranteed vaccine to fully prevent Avian Flu and some vaccines that have been concocted have been disproved by the evolving virus. Scientists are still trying to create a vaccine that is guaranteed to work against the Avian Flu.
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China’s Tibetan region is now infected with the H5N1 virus. Cases of the Avian Flu have been reported in counties within the Tibetan region of China. Farmers are now attempting to disinfect their farms by a multitude of ways. These include ridding their farms of poultry and not allowing foreigners to enter the county. The poultry is the main concern at the moment. Many parts of neighborhoods and towns have fully diminished the population of chickens and other poultry from the area to assure that there will not be an outbreak in their community. Cleaning of farms is imperative for these Tibetan residents to purify the place of Avian Flu virus. Another procedure to fend off the H5N1 virus is not allowing people outside the county to enter. This will prohibit the virus from entering the county from other places that could
potentially be contaminated with the virus. The virus has said to be started by the death of numerous migrating birds. These birds carried the virus and released it at their death. Hundreds of birds have died at the numerous places containing bodies of water where the birds take rest. At these rest stops the birds have made their last stop, and as they do they spread the disease that may be deadly to the Tibetan population.