Bird Flu: Questions and Answers
Q – What is bird influenza?
A – Bird influenza or ” bird flu “is an infection of an influenza virus recognized to affect birds, especially migratory birds, ducks, and chickens. Bird influenza is also supposedly affected pigs and most lately, humans. The idea to impact all species, the virus does not adversely impact ducks. Ducks have actually created antibodies against the virus and they just work as carriers of the disease without displaying any symptoms or signs of bird influenza infection.
Migratory birds are carriers of the bird influenza virus but do not show symptoms of bird influenza infection. This makes them a critical factor in the dispersing of the illness. Other known conditions are transmitted in one location or a couple of locations just with a tiny span. Nevertheless, when it comes to bird influenza, the virus can be transmitted over far distances– from one nation to another – considering that migratory birds travel from continent to continent. One more factor that adds to the dispersing of the illness is the exportation and also importation of infected birds in the worldwide markets.
Q – How is bird influenza transferred?
A – Bird influenza is transmitted with straight contact with infected fowl, specifically upon contact with infected skin, saliva, nasal secretions, and feces. The virus also spreads out via poultry feeds, water storage tanks, and cages. When birds are packed closely with each other, such as in poultry farms, bird flu viruses spread out extremely rapidly amongst them. Transmission of the virus from chickens to humans can occur via contact with tools, automobiles, and clothes that have secretions from infected poultry.
Bird influenza virus is resilient. It can endure in contaminated manure at extremely low temperatures for a minimum of 3 months. The virus can endure in water for up to 4 days in warm temperature and up to 30 days in cool temperature. Nonetheless, heat, as well as disinfectants such as formalin and other iodine substances, have the ability to kill the virus.
Q –Who are in danger?
A – Many people mistakenly think that they can get the bird influenza virus if they consume cooked chicken and eggs. Nevertheless, chickens cooked at 56 degrees Celsius for 3 hrs or at 60 degrees Celsius for half an hr are safe. The only way in which people can get the virus is if they come in straight contact with the secretions and feces of infected poultry. Poultry raisers and those that remain in the poultry and livestock market are very prone to getting the virus. Those that prepare chickens, as well as eggs of infected poultry, might also be infected if the virus is fresh enough to infect them.
Q-Is there a possibility for human-to-human transmission of the bird influenza virus?
A- Fortunately, there is still no indicator of the bird influenza virus being transferred from one human to another. There have actually been cases of humans being infected with the virus and passing away from it, however, these people got the infection straight from birds and not from another infected person. This requires to be emphasized since there are some who believe that the disease can be gotten from an infected human comparable to how ordinary influenza is transmitted.
Up till now, there is no proof of human-to-human transmission of the bird influenza virus. Nevertheless, numerous researchers think that human-to-human transmission of the bird influenza virus is highly possible due to the fact that the virus can quickly alter and constantly evolve. The mutation of the virus might cause human-to-human transmission and researchers claim this can take place in 2 means. One, the virus gets in the body then mutates within the body, and two, the virus integrates with ordinary human influenza in the body of humans or pigs, which are prone to both types of influenza.
