Transcript Avian Influenza - Wise County, Texas

Avian Influenza
Covered Topics
• What is avian influenza?
• Avian influenza and humans
• Symptoms of avian influenza
• Avian influenza treatment
• Avian influenza and Pandemic influenza
Avian influenza
• “Bird flu”
• Occurs naturally in birds
• Wild birds carry the viruses in
their intestines, but don’t usually
get sick.
• Can make chickens, ducks, and
turkeys very sick and kill them.
• It is very contagious to birds
Avian Influenza A H5N1 virus
• A type of influenza that
occurs mainly in birds
• Outbreaks have occurred
in poultry in Asian
countries.
• Humans have gotten sick
in many Eastern Asian
countries.
• This is the type of flu that
many scientists are
watching for a possible
worldwide outbreak
Bird flu human infection
• Avian influenza (bird flu) viruses usually do not make humans
sick.
• Avian influenza does not spread easily from bird to humans.
• Avian Influenza H5N1 is the kind of bird flu that has made
some people sick in Asia.
• As of October 2005, the World Health Organization (WHO)
reports 117 confirmed cases of H5N1 bird flu in humans.
• Sixty of those 117 people died.
• Most people got sick because of contact with sick poultry
(chickens, ducks, turkeys) or by touching contaminated
surfaces.
• There is no evidence that H5N1 can spread from person to
person.
Avian Influenza Symptoms in Humans
• Symptoms may vary depending on
the type
• Typical flu like symptoms
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Fever
Headache
Muscle aches
Cough
Sore throat
• Eye Infections
• Pneumonia
• Acute respiratory distress
Spread of Avian Influenza
• Wild birds pass it on to each other.
• Infected birds shed the virus and other birds
become infected.
• Poultry become infected by the wild birds or by
other poultry.
• Humans become infected by infected poultry
or contaminated surfaces.
Treatment for Avian Influenza
• The same medication used for regular seasonal
flu may work for bird flu infections in humans.
• Check with a physician about specific treatment
plans.
Avian Influenza Vaccine
• An experimental H5N1
vaccine has been made.
• It is now in the clinical trial
process to see if the vaccine
will be effective.
U.S. Outbreak Risk
• The current risk in the United States is low.
• The H5N1 virus has not been found in the U.S. and
there have been no human cases.
• It is possible for travelers to countries in Asia to
become infected.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) recommends that travelers to countries in Asia
with known outbreaks of H5N1 influenza avoid
poultry farms, contact with animals in live food
markets, and any surface that appears to be
contaminated with poultry or animal feces.
Sources: Asian Development Bank; Australasian Wader Study Group; World Organization for Animal Health;
World Health Organization; Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; Recombinomics, Inc.;
Wildlife Conservation Society; NEW SCIENTIST; ProMed
Pandemic (Worldwide Influenza
Outbreak) vs. Avian Influenza
• “Avian influenza” only refers to kinds of flu that usually affect
birds.
• Avian influenza viruses can change to make people sick (like
with H5N1).
• Avian influenza cannot spread from person to person yet.
• A flu pandemic (a worldwide flu outbreak) happens when
humans become sick by a new type of flu that they have not had
before so their bodies cannot fight it off.
• Since their immune systems cannot fight off sickness, people
can become sicker, quicker.
• If avian influenza learns to spread from person to person, it
could possibly turn into pandemic influenza.
Past Influenza Pandemics
• 3 in the last century
• “Spanish influenza”
– 1918
– 40-50 million people died worldwide
– One of the deadliest outbreaks in human history
• “Asian influenza”
– 1957
– 2 million people died worldwide
• “Hong Kong influenza”
– 1968
– 1 million people died worldwide
What if Avian Influenza starts to make
Americans sick?
• Use good hygiene practices.
– If you have contact with an animal, birds included, wash your
hands.
– Clean any surfaces where poultry has been.
• If you or one of your family members feels sick and has a
fever, keep that family member home.
• If you or one of your family members gets bird flu, you will
be asked to stay at home and the health department will call
you everyday to check your temperature and symptoms.
• If you are too sick to stay at home, go to your nearest
hospital.
What if Avian Influenza starts to make
Americans sick? (continued)
• To control the spread of the bird flu from
person to person
– People may be asked to stay at home.
– Large events where people would gather (such as
concerts or festivals) may be cancelled.
– Movement from home out to the public (such as
going shopping) may be restricted.
– Schools may be closed.
References
• World Health Organization (WHO),
www.who.int
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), www.cdc.gov
• National Geographic Society,
www.nationalgeographic.com