Statistics & Interesting Facts of the Bird Flu

Avian flu is a virus that is carried by infected birds and transmitted to humans through contact with infected birds or bird excretion. Bird flu is a type-A flu, which has been reported in humans as early as 1997. Human to human transmission is rare.

History

• Bird flu is highly contagious in birds and has the capacity to kill many species of domestic birds such as chickens, ducks, and turkeys. Human type-A flu is thought to have mutated from an avian flu virus.

Areas of Active Infection

• The epicenter of the human bird flu epidemic appears to be centered among Asian countries, including Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, and Azerbaijan. Over 60% of the reported cases in these areas have been shown to be fatal.

Cluster Outbreaks

• Clusters of human outbreaks have been reported in all the affected countries with a typical cluster being between 2 to 8 cases. Most are blood relatives, indicating that either a hereditary disposition for infection or close contact with sick individuals may be to blame.

Antiviral Resistance

• Prescription antiviral medications have been shown to be moderately effective against bird flu. The bird flu strain that caused severe illness and death in Asia during the last epidemic (H5N1) was resistant to both anti-viral drugs on the market.

H5N1

• The bird flu virus H5N1 is the virus that has caused the largest number of severe cases of illness and death to date.