Much of this applies to the recent SWINE FLU as well

Avian Flu – should we be worried? What can we do about it?

 

The Threat

 

Avian Influenza, or Bird Flu as it is often called, has been around for a long time. There are currently at least 15 know sub-types.

 

Over the past few years several types of the virus, including H5N1, H5N2, H7N7 and H9N2, have been detected in outbreaks around the world. Each has manifested itself in differing ways. The one which causes most concern, H5N1, is highly infectious and deadly among birds but only slightly infectious to humans. People can be infected by handling live or dead birds or by their droppings. When it does pass to people it is only proven to do so directly from bird to handler, although there have been a couple of unproven cases where human to human transmission was suspected. However, the fatality rate for people who are infected by H5N1 is very high, at over 80%. Reports of confirmed cases show around 57 fatalities around the world, over the past 8 years, mostly in SE Asia.

 

Normally Bird Flu only affects birds, or people who handle infected birds, but in the 20^th century there were at least 3 major outbreaks where a form of bird flu combined with a variant of human flu to produce a new and deadly strain which was transmitted from person to person.

 

The worst of these occurred in 1918 when a type of bird flu, relatively harmless to humans, was passed to pigs and the mutated virus then passed from pigs to humans in what became known as Spanish Flu. This virus killed between 20 and 50 million people (estimates and reports vary), approximately 2.5% of the world population at that time. The most recent example near to home happened in the Netherlands in 2003, resulting in 30 million domestic fowl being slaughtered and 80 people infected by the H7N7 variant. Some of these cases are believed to have been transmitted human to human, though this milder form resulted in only 1 human death.

 

Mutation tends to happen when an avian flu passes to a person or other animal already infected with a differing form of flu. The two can then combine and a new variant is created. Note that for the viruses to combine both must be a flu virus, not a bird flu and a human cold virus for example and that mutation resulting in a deadlier form is rare. However, since around 80 – 100 million people worldwide are thought to contract one variety of human flu or another each year, there is a ready reserve of potential victims to catch both.

 

Bird flu can be spread in various ways, including:

• Export/import of infected live birds
• Migrating wild birds
• Infected humans travelling

 

Export of cleaned and plucked birds or eating their cooked flesh is not thought to constitute any hazard from bird flu.

 

So what can we do?

 

Measures can be taken at 4 levels:

• International
• National
• Handlers
• Individual

 

Internationally, organisations such as the World Health Organisation (W.H.O.) track incidents of infectious diseases and provide advice, warning and assistance.

 

Nationally, governments can:

• Provide similar measures within their own boundaries,
• Organise and institute restrictions on the ways birds are kept, handled, imported and transported
• Set up immunisation or vaccination programmes
• Enforce quarantine and culling measures, if required

 

Handlers can:

• ·        Restrict chances for interaction between domestic and wild birds. This includes people who keep and rear chickens, geese, ducks, turkeys, game birds, hunting birds, pigeons, etc.
• ·        Protect themselves from infection by wearing filter masks and disposable gloves
• ·        Not allow anyone with signs or symptoms of illness to work with birds
• ·        Follow good hygiene procedures
• ·        Promptly obey any government imposed restrictions or other measures

 

Individuals i.e. YOU can (when a heightened risk is identified):

• Monitor the news on radio, TV, and the Internet, for up-to-date information.
• Avoid contact with live or dead birds, or if you must do so, e.g. after killing chickens or shooting, protect yourself by wearing a mask and gloves while handling, plucking and cleaning the birds.
• Arrange for vaccination or medication when it is available. Two anti-virals that might be beneficial are currently available; Relenza and Tamiflu. You and your family might qualify for these through the National Health (although possibly only at quite a late stage of an outbreak) or they are available over the Internet. These drugs are not guaranteed to work against whatever form a virus might take but they may give you some protection.
• When a case is identified nationally, start to avoid public places e.g. public transport, cinemas, football matches, shopping centres. If you must visit the supermarket or garage choose one that is open 24 hours and go late at night or early morning on Monday or Tuesday, when it will be relatively quiet. Wear a surgical type mask – the person on the checkout will have had contact with many people.
• At home, keep windows and doors closed and increase your general level of hygiene and disinfection measures
• If a case is identified locally, consider isolating yourself and your family and remaining isolated for up to 28 days after the last case is notified. Call in sick from your work if you need to (Tell them one of your family is suspected of having the virus, they won’t want you to come back too soon!).
• If any of you show any signs of illness, stay away from work and call your doctor.

 

At the moment the risk in the UK from Avian Influenza is low but that could change. Watch the news, make whatever preparations you consider prudent and keep reading this site!