Is the Avian Flu a worldwide threat to everyone? The avian form of influenza has become a hot topic among medical professionals. It has the ability to mutate into a form of the flu that can spread so rapidly, the worlds’ medical communities won’t be able to respond quickly enough. That, combined with the fact that there is no known cure, makes it a terrifying, and potentially unstoppable virus.
Currently, there isn’t much of a threat but the possibility exists for it to become a world wide problem.
The Avian Flu is also known as “The Bird Flu”, because avian influenza finds it’s carriers in wild birds. The carrier birds seem to have developed an immunity to the virus as it doesn’t kill the birds.
The virus, on the other hand, is deadly to domesticated birds. Turkeys, chickens, and household pets are vulnerable to it’s wrath. It’s through this connection that the possible threat to humans exists. Chicken production in the United States, Canada, Asia and Europe is on a massive scale. The industry is very large and an infection into these chicken populations could be catastrophic.
The methods that the birds use to can pass the virus on are secretions, saliva,mucus, and feces. Many times, the virus is initially spotted in dying chickens. Livestock producers that find themselves in this situation have been forced to destroy huge segments of their chicken population in order to satisfy stringent government crackdowns on this potentially hazardous disease.
Cases where humans have been infected with the virus typically originate with someone who has had close contact with infected bird secretions. This does include their eggs as this is a form of secretion. Despite this slight risk, the bird flu is essentially not a risk for the human population at this time.