What are the symptoms of bird flu in humans?
The symptoms of bird flu in humans are similar to those of regular influenza and include:
- fever.
- sore throat.
- cough.
- headache.
- aching muscles.
What is the portal of entry of bird flu?
Humans acquire avian influenza viruses primarily through direct contact of the mucous membranes with infectious secretions and excreta from infected birds or contaminated poultry products. The major portal of entry appears to be the upper respiratory tract.
Can avian flu be transmitted from human to human?
It’s mostly a threat to birds and doesn’t spread easily among people, but there was a major outbreak of bird flu in people in 2014. The very few cases of human-to-human transmission were among people with exceptionally close contact, such as a mother who caught the virus while caring for their sick infant.
What is the difference between h1n1 and H5N1?
So you can still get flu, even if you have been vaccinated. While H5N1 and H7N9 strains can directly infect humans from birds, these viruses have not yet adapted sufficiently to spread from human to human.
Is bird flu curable in humans?
Studies suggest that antiviral drugs developed for human flu viruses would work against bird flu infection in humans. The H5N1 virus, however, appears to be resistant to at least two of the drugs, amantadine and rimantadine.
Can you vaccinate chickens against bird flu?
Vaccination and rapid diagnosis are very important for prevention and control but it is still not currently possible to protect against all influenza strains. Professor Iqbal’s Avian Influenza group is exploring which sites on the virus trigger the chicken immune system to respond quickly and fight off infection.
Is avian flu airborne?
Avian influenza viruses can be transmitted directly from wild birds to domestic poultry or indirectly e.g. through contaminated material. The virus spreads directly from bird to bird via airborne transmission or indirectly, through faecal contamination of material, feathers or feed.
