Is It Possible For People To Catch Bird Flu?

Bird flu is caused by an avian influenza virus that has spread through the world in 2005 and 2006. It is a virus that affects birds, mainly wild bird populations, but it can also affect domestic birds like chickens.

When it strikes, the virus is very deadly and there is a high death rate among the birds. It spreads rapidly and has affected many countries. People in Asia who live among poultry on farms and small holdings have been affected by bird flu that they have caught directly from birds. In humans, the disease also has a very high death rate but, so far, the number of cases has been relatively small.

So far, the virus has only passed from bird to bird and bird to human: there have been no recorded cases of human to human transmission. Experts are looking out for this because it would cause a global emergency. Such a virulent strain of flu could sweep the world in a huge pandemic, killing millions and many countries have stockpiled anti-viral therapies to try to prepare for such an eventuality.

Add Comment

Report