Influenza

Many web sites and groups who are interested in and participate in world health organisations have organized many influenza pandemic awareness weeks in order to  draw in the community and help educate them on the dangers and risks of flu epidemics, such as they swine flu. These influenza pandemic awareness weeks help educate families and citizens in order to help them become aware of the preventative measures that should be taken in order to keep themselves and there families safe from flu epidemics. During influenza pandemic awareness week the public will be informed of safety methods, understanding signs and symptoms, especially in children, and which precautions need to be taken in order to lessen the risk of contracting flu epidemics. With this up coming flu season right around the corner, it is very important to be prepared.

Flu Epidemic

With swine flu turning into a world wide flu epidemic, its very important that we all do our part and practice personal hygiene in order to help prevent the spread of this sometimes deadly virus. If you are starting to feel sick of experience flu symptom, it is very very important to make a trip to your doctor just to ensure that you do not have a confirmed case of swine flu. Everybody should be very cautious right now and aware of flu symptom in order to keep themselves and there families healthy and safe and prevent this swine flu epidemic. Coughing and sneezing into tissues and disposing of them directly into trash reciprocals is one important essential way to help contain the spread of the swine flu epidemic. Do not touch your eyes, nose, or mouth as these orifices are very much responsible for the spread of germs and flu symptom.

Vaccines

The bird flu is a virus which is mostly carried by birds, and spread from bird to bird, but when contaminated poultry is eaten by humans, it there for infects humans and causes them to have symptoms of fever, cough, sore throat, muscle aches, eye infections. Bird flu symptoms can also be associated with Pneumonia, respiratory distress, and even many other different types of life threatening complications. These symptoms are very similar to those of the common seasonal flu, but can sometimes result in death. The Food And Drug Administration is currently working towards a vaccine for this virus as it is very important to prevent the H5N1 virus from becoming an epidemic. If the bird flu begins to mutate, it can allow humans to infect other humans. Understanding that by vaccinating people against the bird flu, it allows the prevention of this virus from mutating and spreading between people. On April 17th, 2007, the FDA approved the first bird flu vaccine as an effort to prevent a world wide pandemic of the H5N1 virus. This vaccination would only be used if the virus began to spread from human to human, there for possibly preventing a world wide pandemic. AS of right now, the virus can only be spread by direct contact from bird to human. Humans have no immunity to this virus because of the fact that it is a virus that usually effects animals, but can also infect humans as well and preventing world wide pandemic is the porpose of this vaccines.

H5N1 Asia

A total of 5 Asian nations have teamed up for bird flu research. These 5 Asian nations include Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam This is extremely beneficial as Asian countries have suffered the most and Asian is one of the predominant countries that stands out during this bird flu crisis. These five Asian countries have established a partnership to help identify and research cases of the bird flu in order to learn more and hopefully be able to find tools and resources through this partner ship which will give them the knowledge they need to take the necessary precautions in preventing this virus from spreading and turning into a world wide pandemic. The The Asian Research Partnership on Pandemic Influenza is for the most part founded by Canada’s International Development Research Center. The International Development Research Center of Canada has spent $1.8 million for the research of this h5n1 influenza virus. There are currently studying and researching the possibility of vaccinating poultry in order to prevent the spread of this h5n1 virus. There are many benefits to having these five nations partner up for the research of controlling the h5n1 virus. For one, each of these countries have very differnt types of controling the spread of this virus and by them partnering up together they can hopefully find and research the most effective way in dealing with this virus and preventing it from spearding and turning into a pandemic. Many have faith that this partnership will bring a lot of knowlege and good.

H5N1 Europe

Europe and Asian are two countries which have taken a huge hit from the H5N1 virus. In countries of Europe, preparation has taken a new turn, especially in Poland when it come to vaccines. In fact, 3 polish doctors are actually facing criminal procession after administering trial anti bird flu vaccinations to homeless, and having the vaccine result in death. It is said that the homeless men and women who were administered this vaccine thought it was a standard flu vaccine and were not aware that it was actually an anti bird flu drug. 21 homeless people died after being given the vaccine. Authorities have yet to prove that the deaths were a result of the vaccine, but regardless, the Minister of Poland feels although those who were involved should not be able to return to there position in the medical field and that they should be punished. The suspects have stated that the homeless who were involved were aware that this was a trial of an anti bird flu drug. This is a very interesting case and based of what happened in 2002, where ambulance workers were charged with killing there patients in order to receive commission from funeral companies. It is suspected that the medical staff who administered these vaccines to the homeless may have deceived pharmaceutical companies that commissioned the trial vaccinations. Its will be very interesting to see how this case pans out, beings that is is a very serious matter and 21 people have lost there lives.

H5N1 North America

AS of current, there are no confirmed cases of bird flu in North America. For the most part, the bird flu has effected countries in and surrounding Europe and Asia. It is still a risk for North America, beings that there are some birds which migrate from Europe and Asia to North America but as of right now there have not been any reported cases of the bird flu. If in the case that the bird flu does happen to mutate and turn into a world wide pandemic, it could be possibly that the bird flu would spread to to North America, but as of right now the bird flu virus has not mutated and the WHO (World Health Organization) has not declared a bird flu pandemic as this virus is only transferable between bird and other birds, and birds and humans, only with direct contact. Americans should still be precautions and suspicious of being in close contact with birds who appeared to be ill, but lucky there have been no reported cases of the bird flu in North America, and hopefully it will stay this way. In the case that a pandemic of bird flu does break out, its important to realize that there are vaccines which will aid in stopping, or at least slowing down the pandemic of bird flu. If you want to take extra prevention, ask about receiving a flu shot. The flu shot does not protect specifically against the bird flu, but it can help lessen the risk of infection, which can be a useful prevention method

H5N1 Australia

Australia has been extremely precautions in trying to prevent cases of bird flu due to the fact that Australia is close to Africa and Asia in terms of bird migration and it wouldn’t take a lot for an infected bird who has been exposed to the H5N1 virus to migrate towards Australian and infect other birds causing bird flu and concerns of the people being infected with the H5N1 virus. Australia has been very precautions in preventing the spread of this virus, they even encountered a bird flu scare involving a man experiencing flu symptoms during a flight and arriving at Sydney Hospital. Luckily the man was not infected with the bird flu and this case ended up being just a scare, but Australia is taking the bird flu very seriously and doing everything in there power to help citizens gain knowledge on how to prevent contracting the bird flu virus. Australia has actively aided in the understanding of how important detection of these viruses can be to preventing the H5N1 virus from mutating and being spreadable from human to human is very important and taking these preventative measures. If you were interested in more information on the subtype h5n1 virus you could check out the web site of WHO (World Health Organization) as they deal with world wide health issues including pandemics and can offer a lot of information on the subtypes H5n1 virus as well as further information on the mutation, prevention, and recommendations of this subtype h5n1 virus.

H5N1 Africa

In February of 2006, Nigeria, Africa has reported its first case of bird flu. Are migrating birds to blame, or was it the poultry? On February 5, 2006 the Nigerian authorities informed the health officials of this outbreak of bird flu on a farm in Kaduna. Luckily no human cases have been confirmed although thousands among thousands of birds died on the farm. The poultry industry completely stopped shipping poultry in order to do an investigation and track contaminated poultry as well control the outbreak in order to protect humans for being infected with the h5n1 virus. Nigerian officials and the WHO (World Health Organisation) have ordered people to avoid contact with birds, especially those who have been near sick birds. Its important that the people of Nigeria and other countries in Africa are aware that this virus has arrived in Africa and how important it is that proper measures are being taken in order to prevent the spread of this virus. It has been difficult for Africa to be sure which birds have been infected by the h5n1 virus due to the fact that Africa is home to millions of birds and many of them die from starvation and poor nutrition, so the bird flu may have gone under seen and African health officials are doing everything in there power to spread knowledge on the bird flu and give citizens the information they need in order to prevent contracting the virus. Avoiding contact with wild birds is crucial.

H5N1 Mutation

As of right now, one of the main concerns of health officials all over the world is the mutation of the bird flu. As humans, our bodies are not immune to the bird flu, and currently, the bird flu cannot spread from human to human. Humans can only contact the bird flu virus through direct contact with the bird, which most of the case is the result of contaminated poultry. It is not possible right now for humans to pass the bird flu on to one another, where on the other hand, birds can pass it to one another quite easily. One of the fears of health officials all over the world is that this virus will begin to mutate, there for making it possible for humans to spread the bird flu virus to one another. If this happens, and the bird flu mutates, it can cause a world wide pandemic causing illness through out many countries and possibly even death. In the case that the bird flu virus does mutate, the FDA approved a vaccine in 2007, which could protect those vaccinated from contracting the bird flu virus. Hopefully, in the event that the bird flu virus does begin to mutate and become spreadable from human to human, the vaccine will help prevent the spread and a global pandemic from rising. In certain countries where the bird flu is a problem they are taking advances in diagnosing birds to prevent contamination of poultry, this has been effective in slowing down the spread of bird flu.

H5N1 Symptoms

The bird flu is a type of influenza virus which is common amongst wild birds, while rarely spreading to humans, there have been reported cases in countries such as Asia. Most of the people that contracted the bird flu virus did so by consuming infected poultry. AS humans, our immune systems are not designed to fight of this type of virus, so its very rare for humans to contract it, and even more difficult for this virus to spread from human to human as it does in the wild amongst birds. The symptoms of the bird flu are fever, cough, sore throat, muscle aches, eye infections. Bird flu symptoms can also be associated with Pneumonia, respiratory distress, and even many other different types of life threatening complications. Symptoms of the bird flu are quite similar to symptoms of the common influenza virus being that these are both forms of the flu, there symptoms do not differ much. Do to the fact that this is a virus that primarily effects animals, when human come in contact and are infected with the bird flu it can cause very severe symptoms and in some cases even death. Its important to be very cautious and aware of flu symptoms. Educating yourself of these topics can be very useful in the prevention of bird flu resulting in a world wide pandemic. Symptoms can differ from person to person depending of the severity of the symptoms and the condition of heath that the person may be in along with the strength of there immune system.