Avian influenza: symptoms in humans. bird flu epidemic

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Avian influenza: symptoms in humans. bird flu epidemic
Avian influenza: symptoms in humans. bird flu epidemic
Anonim

Recently, one often hears about bird flu. What is this disease and how to treat it? Can a person become infected with it, and what to do in this case? What do we even know about this disease, which appeared just over a hundred years ago? It is possible, of course, that it existed before, but people then could not find its cause and classify it. And the facts of human infection became known only recently.

bird flu symptoms in humans
bird flu symptoms in humans

Sad statistics

Unfortunately, cases of human avian influenza, although relatively rare, are already a fait accompli. Moreover, the number of deaths from this terrible disease is in the hundreds. It is important to remember that treatment should be started almost immediately after the first symptoms appear. The disease develops rapidly, and with a high probability (up to fifty percent) can be fatal.

Therefore, everyone needs to be able to distinguish between the symptoms of bird flu, as well as take all necessary precautions. And although there is much more talk about Ebola today, in fact it is not yet so dangerous. Its main trump card is the lack of a valid vaccine. There is already a vaccine for bird flu, although it is quite expensive. But the virus that causes it mutates so easily and often that, under certain circumstances, a strain can arise against which a person has neither immunity nor a vaccine. And the flu is transmitted by airborne droplets, which in a short time can lead to the infection of millions of people. You don't have to look far for examples. The same "Spanish flu" killed about a hundred million people … In the twentieth century, there were two more smaller-scale pandemics. The only thing that saves us is that, unlike Ebola, bird flu is not yet transmitted between people. But they can be easily contracted from poultry.

bird flu symptoms in chickens
bird flu symptoms in chickens

Pathogen

The international name for this species is H5N1 (human avian influenza). What do the letters and numbers mean here? The disease is caused by an RNA-containing virus that contains 2 antigens. These are neuraminidase and hemagglutin - they are designated by these letters. There are nine options for the first and 16 for the second. The most dangerous combinations are H5N1 and H7N7. In general, it would be more correct to add the letter A at the beginning, since these viruses belong to type A influenza.

bird flu epidemic
bird flu epidemic

Backstory

The bird flu was first heard in 1878. Then in Italy there was an outbreak of a disease affecting chickens. But at that time it had a completely different name. Local veterinarian Eduardo Perroncito classified it as avian typhus at the time. After some time, the disease was already called classical bird plague. Well, the fact that influenza virus causes epidemics with high lethality became known only in 1955. The disease received its modern name only in 1971.

Influenza is one of the most common acute respiratory diseases in humans. In our country alone, up to thirty million people are ill with it every year. And there are other viral diseases. A depressing statistic, although there are already effective drugs. This is Tamiflu and Arbidol. It is deplorable that people do not always start treatment on time, suffer the disease “on their feet”, and sometimes refuse to be vaccinated. The latter is doubly dangerous in the event of an avian influenza epidemic. But more on that later. Negative consequences, including death, develop mainly due to complications. Keep in mind that flu is especially dangerous for heart patients and diabetics.

But humans aren't the only ones affected by this virus. It has long been noticed that different strains of influenza affect animals and birds. For some, it is completely harmless. And they, apparently, are its natural reservoirs. In the case of bird flu, these are waterfowl such as wild ducks and geese. For others, it is deadly.

bird flu symptoms
bird flu symptoms

Avian influenza: symptoms in humans

Signs of the disease appear one or two days after direct infection. Bird flu symptoms are similar to those that appear when a virus is already familiar to humans. As a rule, these are high temperature, intoxication and catarrhal phenomena. Then the lungs are affected. This is what distinguishes it from the usual human flu, in which the upper respiratory tract is most affected. Infectious-toxic shock may develop, as well as cerebral edema. The complication goes to the liver, kidneys and gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, such signs of bird flu as diarrhea and vomiting are not uncommon. But at the beginning of the disease, a person may simply feel weak and unwell. With development, complications are possible. As can be seen from the foregoing, it is quite difficult to distinguish bird flu from the usual human flu in the early stages. In such cases, accompanying signs will help.

For example, a sick person is a veterinarian or an employee of a poultry farm. Either the malaise began after contact with a sick person, or someone from the patient's acquaintances has recently returned from a region where viral diseases (in particular, bird flu) are rampant. You also need to be careful if you find out about an outbreak in your area.

bird flu symptoms
bird flu symptoms

Varieties

To date, it is known about the existence of one and a half thousand viruses, five hundred of which are dangerous to humans. Among the strains of influenza deadly to humans are avian and swine. It seems not so much: twenty-four are pathogenic for birds. How can a person get sick? It turns out to be very simple.

Transmission methods

In fact, there is a species barrier in nature that usually prevents diseases from being transmitted from one animal or bird to another. But, apparently, in some cases it can be bypassed. There is even speculation that the bird flu strain is man-made.

The same, by the way, they say about the latest version of Ebola. In the case of avian flu, there is information that pharmaceutical corporations controlled by the United States government have been infecting woodpeckers in Asia with it. For what purpose this was done remains a mystery. But it is quite possible that the virus was thus used as a biological weapon. You can find out more about this if you watch the documentary film Pandemic of Lies. Mostly, of course, it refers to the swine flu epidemic that swept the world a few years ago. The statements of scientists and experimental data that speak of the dangers of the vaccine used then in the United States are presented to the public. There will always be people who want to make a biological weapon out of a deadly disease. How and why the virus began to be transmitted from birds to humans is not completely known. And now we just have to take precautions and learn to recognize the symptoms.

bird flu
bird flu

Precautions

As mentioned above, in all likelihood, wild ducks are the natural reservoir of bird flu. But perhaps not only them. From them, the virus is easily transmitted to poultry in poultry farms and private farms. Therefore, employees of such enterprises and farmers are primarily at risk.

As manifested in birds

In order not to get infected, take safety measures in time and consult a doctor, you need to know the symptoms of bird flu in birds. First of all, pay attention to the chickens. If they look unhe althy, they have stopped laying eggs, their feathers are ruffled, and their combs have turned black, then this is a cause for concern. Typically, if bird flu is present, the symptoms in chickens are also high fever, diarrhea, and lethargy.

It is quite easy to get infected from poultry: direct contact is enough. Therefore, wash your hands thoroughly with soap after chores. And if there are suspicions that your, for example, chickens are unhe althy, then it is better to wash the clothes in which you were wearing. And then carefully monitor your well-being. And see a doctor if you have the slightest suspicion of bird flu. Symptoms in humans are usually noticeable already on the second day. When avian influenza is confirmed, treatment should be carried out in a hospital. In this case, poultry is completely destroyed. And although there is no evidence that the virus can be transmitted through heat-treated meat, sick birds should not be eaten. After all, you can get infected with them already during processing. Mortality among poultry due to influenza reaches one hundred percent.

bird flu in humans
bird flu in humans

Boost your immunity

This is another way to avoid contracting a dangerous disease. Do exercises in the morning. Be outdoors more often, temper your body. And don't forget about your gut, because the bacteria responsible for immunity live there.

Pandemic

A global avian flu epidemic is, in principle, possible. The fact is that usually such a virus is not transmitted from person to person. And you can only get infected from a bird. But if a person who is already suffering from the usual flu gets sick, then a fatal mutation can occur in his body. And a strain is formed that will be transmitted between people. There is no current vaccine against this influenza. It is not difficult to guess that such a virus would be fatal to humans. Another option is to infect pigs from chickens and then infect humans.

If chickens have bird flu, then the only way to avoid a pandemic is to destroy all the birds. However, according to some scientists, it is unlikely that it will be possible to avoid another large-scale outbreak of the disease in humans in the coming years. Therefore, it is important to face the bird flu fully armed.

viral diseases
viral diseases

In closing

The world around us is by no means safe. And there are many threats to our life and he alth. But not all of them are obvious. In recent years, scientists have begun to realize that the smaller the organism, the more harm it can cause. These are bacteria and viruses. Although the latter are not yet considered alive in the full sense of the word. That's bird flu. It would seem that the disease does not apply to humans, but time has passed - and everything has changed. And now this virus is among the most dangerous. And if you are a poultry owner and live outside the city, then you are already at risk. After all, although chickens, for example, can become infected from wild ducks and geese, the likelihood of this, it turns out, is not so small. Epidemics on poultry farms are proof of this. Therefore, the transmission mechanism itself is not entirely clear.

Well, if you notice suspicious symptoms in your pets, then report it to the veterinarian as soon as possible. And take the strictest precautions. In any case, avoid eating poorly cooked chicken and eggs. Whether to pass the mandatory flu vaccination is up to everyone to decide for themselves. On the one hand, it can save you in case of infection with a common virus. On the other hand, it is far from a fact that it will be effective in the case of the bird. However, before vaccination, carefully assess your he alth: if you have a temperature or your immune system is weakened by any other disease, do not rush to vaccinate yourself with a weakened influenza virus. Your body may not be able to cope with it right away, and you will get sick.

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