Health » Outbreak

How Bird Flu Kills

admin — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 13:33:06 +0000

The bird flu virus is supposed to be really affecting the birds only. However, because of the nature of flu viruses that can be able to mutate and transfer from one species to the other. The bird flu virus that has been killing birds has now been affecting humans as well.

The good news is that bird flu virus has only killed few humans as of the moment. That’s why health officials are working overtime to prevent bird flu from becoming an outbreak. How the virus works on humans is still a complete wonder. There are still more and more studies undertaken to fully understand this virus.

What is known however is that there are 15 types of avian flu virus that affects birds. That’s why birds also have running noses as well, only theirs is a running beak (corny). The current outbreak of bird flu is caused by the H5N1 strain. This strain is very contagious and can cause rapid fatalities. This strain, unlike the others, can be transmitted to humans, which makes it deadlier.

Remember the SARS scare we experienced years back? Compared to Bird Flu, SARS is just an ordinary cold. Their symptoms are similar but the virus that causes them is completely different. SARS is also less contagious because the person infected can just be isolated.

There could be low pathogenic virus or high pathogenic virus that can affect birds. The low pathogenic virus can affect birds in minor ways only. Ruffled feathers and reduced egg production are some. Highly pathogenic virus cause severe diseases such as respiratory diseases. In domestic birds, when the symptoms appear, they die the same day.

Other symptoms of the bird flu on birds are: loss of appetite, nervousness like chicken little, coughing, sneezing, diarrhea, and depression. Yes, birds do get depressed and they might end up being suicidal, drinking your Prozac.

Just as in the birds, the highly pathogenic forms are the ones that greatly affect the humans as well. These highly pathogenic forms are what cause deaths in humans as well.

The incubation period of the bird flu on humans is still not yet known clearly. The ill effects might develop one to five days from exposure to the virus.

Sometimes, the only indication that a person has been infected is an eye infection or conjunctivitis. However, having conjunctivitis, you might only think that it’s ordinary sore eyes.

Then other symptoms that are common to flu are also developed. That’s why it really is hard to know that the person has been affected by the virus. Other symptoms include, cough, fever, and sore throat.

It will then develop to life threatening complications that include viral pneumonia, and respiratory failure and distress.

That’s why health officials and scientist are scrambling for ways to just make ways to prevent outbreaks. Because they would not want a person to have misconceptions that he or she only has ordinary flu, but is the already life-threatening bird flu.

Dog Flu: What To Do

admin — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 06:34:45 +0000

So it appears to me that it is fair to say that we have a partial outbreak of Dog Flu in the United States, the question is, how do we put a stop to it? Aside from prophylaxis (prevention) which we are not even sure we can say we know how to properly administer, what do we do in order to keep ourselves safe from the condition? “There is no evidence that it can infect people,” said Dr. Ruben Donis of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who has published a report on the new virus in the journal Science. This said, how can he be sure of this based on the short time that the Canine strain has been prevalent?”

Health experts in the animal field know this strain of virus as an equine strain of flu that has been in circulation for the last 40 years. The troubling question that nobody knows the answer to as of yet is how this flu strain mutated in dogs being what was originally thought of as a specific horse flu?

Being that this is a relatively new strain of flu, health experts can not say for sure if we humans are at risk due to the lack of exposure that we have had to this specific flu strain: however the odds are very unlikely due to the fact that throughout time, not one person has become infected while handling a horse that had the virus.

As a dog owner it is hard to know what to do. Do we shelter our dogs remanding them to a life of indoor living, or do we continue on treating them the same way we do now? Health experts will say to do the latter, however is that their way of trying to defuse the situation, I can not say for sure.

Incoming search terms for the article:

Will Avian Flu Become Pandemic?

admin — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 13:40:10 +0000

Experts are saying that Avian Flu or Bird Flu could become Pandemic at some time in the future, and it could affect the human race. The World Health Organization has recognized that there could be a problem. Governments have been urged to update all their plans for counteracting any possibility of this happening.

Estimates have been made that something like 50 million deaths could be expected if this flu developed in to a strain that could be passed on by humans.

Pandemic Flu, means an outbreak of a flu strain that has reached different countries that have no geographical connection. There is NO Pandemic Flu at the moment but the authorities are concerned about an outbreak of a virus in South East Asia that has killed a number of people.

The flu has been seen for some time in birds, especially Chickens, which has led to millions of birds being killed. The strain involved is H5N1 and has been found in Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia, only a small number of people have so far died and it would appear that they almost all, had contact with birds.

The virus moves easily between birds, and sometimes it has obviously passed to humans, but at this stage it does not appear to have the ability to transfer from Human to Human, but that is not to say that sometime in the future the virus could not mutate, so that it can transfer easily.

The figures that are forecast are based usually on previous Pandemic Viruses that have hit the world, so it really could be anyone’s guess. The people most at risk would normally of course be the weak the elderly and the very young, but this kind of virus would be unpredictable, so it could affect healthy people just as much.

Vaccines are currently being produced, but they can take months to develop and then of course they have to be manufactured in millions to cope with any situation that might arise.

There is currently one drug being manufactured which is supposed to beat the Avian Flu, but it is in such short supply, that in certain cities of the world it is fetching more than the street price of Heroin.

There is absolutely no need to panic, because this particular virus might never develop in to being a problem for humanity, and most countries have contingency plans for a flu pandemic, because they do happen from time to time, thankfully not too frequently. In the last century the 1900′s there were three. If you do a search in Google, you will find a lot more information on Avian Flu.

My advice would be to eat healthy food and try to make sure that your Immune System is functioning as efficiently as possible, Don’t worry and if you would like something to help your immune system cope with everyday illnesses better, Please look at my websites

Incoming search terms for the article:

can avian flu become pandemic

Contagious Cold Sores – Will They Spread?

admin — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:21:02 +0000

If you suffer from cold sore outbreaks you may have wondered whether or not cold sores are contagious. They are indeed contagious, and extremely so. If you are experiencing an outbreak you should avoid all personal contact with others, in order to prevent spreading the virus. Someone who is experiencing an outbreak can pass on the virus even when there are no noticeable symptoms.

Cold sores are contagious from the first sign of an outbreak, known as the tingling stage, until the very end of the healing process. Let’s take a look at when the virus is most contagious, how the cold sore virus is spread from person to person, and what preventative measures you can take to avoid spreading the virus on to others.

Most people are first infected with the HSV-1 herpes virus when they are a child. For some, the virus can remain dormant in their body, and they will never experience a recurrent outbreak. Others are not so lucky. It is not uncommon once you have contracted the virus to experience cold sore outbreaks on and off throughout your lifetime.

Cold sores are most contagious immediately after they have ruptured. The liquid inside the blisters is the primary source of the HSV-1 virus and as it oozes out of the blister it is extremely contagious. You will want to practice exceptional hygiene during this stage to not only prevent infection to others, but also to keep the virus from spreading to other areas of your body.

Cold sores are contagious during all other stages, from the tingling stage, right up until the healing stage is complete. So you will want to be careful throughout the entire outbreak to not spread the virus to others. Let’s take a look at how the virus is actually spread.

The cold sore virus is mainly spread through skin to skin contact. If you are experiencing an outbreak and kiss someone, you more often than not will pass on the virus. Shaking hands with an infected person can also transmit the virus. You will also want to avoid sharing any items that may come in contact with the blisters. This includes toothbrushes, chap sticks, lipsticks and lip balms, cups, water bottles, etc. Even though you are not directly touching the infected person, the virus can still be present on any objects it has come in contact with.

You now know that cold sores are contagious, even when there are no outward signs of an outbreak. If you experience an outbreak you will most certainly want to be cautious to not spread the virus on to others. Practicing good hygiene, not sharing personal objects, and not having direct contact with others is advised for the duration of cold sore outbreaks.

Incoming search terms for the article:

Throat Thrush – Symptoms and Treatment

admin — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 13:42:49 +0000

Throat thrush is a form of oral thrush which occurs in the throat. Also known as oral candida, it is a yeast infection which occurs when the naturally occurring candida yeast starts to grow in excess and cannot be effectively managed by the body.

Thrush can cause and uncomfortable burning sensation in the throat, but because of its positioning it can be quite difficult to determine what might be causing this sensation. Throat thrush will also be accompanied by small white spots which you may be able to see by looking into a mirror to the back of your throat. While these spots will cause no discomfort, they do have a tendency to bleed when scraped, making it quite unpleasant for a throat thrush sufferer to eat certain hard foods which may cause a scratching sensation.

The candida fungus which causes throat thrush is present in about 50% of the population, although many will never suffer a full blown throat thrush outbreak. Throat thrush can occur at any time but is often a symptom of a weakened immune system and that means it regularly occurs when the suffere is feeling run down, has suffered from flu or any other immune system weakening disease.

If you are suffering from throat thrush, or have suffered from yeast infections previously, you will be glad to know that help is at hand. New homeopathic remedies have been identified as the most effective treatment to both ease occurring yeast infections and prevent further yeast infections from reoccurring.

Yeastrol has been shown as the most effective treatment for throat thrush, as well as thrush occurring in other parts of the body. It is simple to use, being a spray which is taken in the mouth daily. The special formulation rebalances your body’s immune system to properly control the yeast overgrowth.

Incoming search terms for the article:

Swine Flu Facts

admin — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 18:24:36 +0000

Everyone by now has probably seen the news stories and heard of the fatalities caused by Swine flu. It appears that we now face a swine flu pandemic, that means that outbreaks are being seen across the world. But what exactly is and how can we protect ourselves? Swine flu is a form of influenza that started in pigs but can be caught by, and spread among, people. The current outbreak, human infection with swine influenza A (H1N1) viruses has been confirmed in the US, Canada, the UK, and other countries. Swine flu is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses. Outbreaks of swine flu happen often in pigs.

People do not normally get swine flu, though infections do occasionally happen. Recently, most human cases of swine influenza have been in people who were in close contact with pigs, such as farmers. In the current outbreak the virus has been spread by person-to-person contact. This has caused concern that the outbreak could become a pandemic flu – a global outbreak of flu that spreads quickly because it is a new type of virus that few of us have any resistance to. The normal type of flu ,usually called seasonal flu caused by an existing flu virus, is a common infection in the that usually occurs during the winter. For most people, it is an unpleasant but not life-threatening infection. People who are more at risk from it, such as older people or those weakened by illness can be given a flu vaccination.

The single most effective way to stop or slow the spread of diseases such as swine flu is to prevent the spread of germs. Wash your hands regularly with soap and water and cover your mouth if you cough or sneeze this is advice that has been given for many years by is still a very effective way to help you avoid spreading or contracting swine flu,also remember if you or a family member are ill or have the swine flu symptoms it Is much better to stay at home away from work or school and thus reduce the risk of spreading the infection.

Its also worth noting that swine flu cannot be caught by eating pork or other pig related foodstuffs. There is also no need for panic we do have effective treatments antiviral drugs are effective against swine flu if you are suffering flu symptoms visit your doctor or pharmacist who will be able to prescribe the correct medication. Those most at risk are young children older people and those with underlying medical conditions. Remember wash your hands regularly with soap and water cover your mouth if you cough or sneeze and stay away from work or school if you have flu symptoms and always seek professional medical advice.