For the Birds

When something as potentially deadly as the bird flu shows up on the health scene, it is cause for concern for many people.  No one wants to get sick, let alone with a virus that is potentially fatal.  The biggest concern is how they could catch it from an infected person. There are several reasons [...]

Contrary to popular belief, the bird flu is not a new occurrence in humans. The bird flu has been around for centuries, and has been affecting humans for centuries. However, there has been a surge of bird flu occurrences in the past few years. The time line of the bird flu begins in 1918 with [...]

The bird flu has become a problem for Americans in the past few years. There is a common fear that the bird flu may become a pandemic, as it spreads to major cities such as New York City. New York City has taken the initiative of developing a bird flu contingency plan. The officials of [...]

While currently there have been no cases of the bird flu found in the United States, some scientists believe that it is sure to happen sometime in our future.  Besides being concerned for their own well-being, many Americans wonder about the health of their extended family members – their pets.  Here are some things that [...]

Bird flu is a hot topic. If you turn on the news or read the paper, chances are, you will come across at least one article or story about the bird flu. Currently, bird flu most affects areas where people live or work in very close proximity to poultry and birds. However, those in the [...]

Avian influenza also known, as the bird flu, is a virus that infects both wild birds and domestic poultry. Avian influenza is a disease caused by infection of poultry with type A influenza viruses. AI strains are separated into two groups that are based on the capacity of the virus to create disease in poultry. [...]

Avian influenza, or bird flu, is an infectious disease of birds caused by type A strains of the influenza virus. All birds appear to be susceptible, though some species are more resistant to infection than others. Wild waterfowl can then be responsible for the primary introduction of the infection into domestic poultry. In farms where [...]

There is several risk groups associated with the avian influenza virus that should be extra cautious in the case of an outbreak or bird flu pandemic.  These groups cannot be determined for certain, but are predicted to include infants, the elderly, pregnant women, and persons with chronic medical conditions. While the susceptibility to the pandemic [...]

A heightened level of awareness and concern has arisen from recent outbreaks of the highly pathogenic avian influenza, or bird flu, in Asia.  Human infections associated with this virus have led scientists and researchers to begin work on a vaccination to help in the case of a possible influenza pandemic.  Vaccinations are the best way [...]

The World Health Organization has said that “it is extremely worried” about a cluster of H5N1 avian influenza, related human deaths in Indonesia. The reason Indonesia is causing such concern is because was no sign of diseased poultry in the immediate area raising the possibility that the infection spread from human to human contact. Indonesia, [...]