| Avian influenza virus usually refers to | | | | human-to-human transmission evolves, the |
| influenza A viruses found mainly in birds, | | | | disease could spread around the globe in days |
| but infections can occur in humans. The risk | | | | through modern jet travel by infected |
| is generally low to most people, because the | | | | persons. |
| viruses do not usually infect humans. | | | | |
| However, confirmed cases of human infection | | | | The current bird flu, a strain known as H5N1, |
| have been reported since 1997, and the | | | | clearly can be transmitted directly from |
| current outbreak of bird flu worldwide | | | | poultry to people. Most cases have been |
| increases the risk that the virus will mutate | | | | traced directly to contact with sick birds, |
| into a form which can be spread person to | | | | although human-to-human transmission appears |
| person. | | | | to have occurred in at least one instance. |
| | | | H5N1 first appeared in Hong Kong in 1997, and |
| All flu viruses are thought to have | | | | as of July 26, 2006 there have been 232 cases |
| originated in birds. But scientists also have | | | | of flu worldwide, mostly in Southeast Asia, |
| long believed that in order to cause human | | | | according to the World Health Organization. |
| epidemics, the viruses first had to spread | | | | Mortality has been greater than fifty |
| from birds to pigs, where genetic changes | | | | percent. These figures include only patients |
| occur which allow the viruses to spread more | | | | whose diagnosis has been confirmed by lab |
| easily in mammals. Flu strains that are more | | | | tests. Cases of severe illness or death are |
| birdlike are more dangerous to humans because | | | | most likely to be diagnosed and reported, |
| their immune systems have not been exposed to | | | | while milder cases go undiagnosed and |
| them before. | | | | unreported; therefor it is difficult to know |
| | | | the true mortality rate from H5N1. |
| It is thought that the deadly 1918 flu | | | | |
| epidemic, which killed 20 to 40 million | | | | Due to the fact that most cases are occurring |
| people, derived from bird flu. Known as | | | | in third-world countries where health |
| "Spanish Flu" or "La Grippe," the influenza | | | | services and reporting are poor, the actual |
| pandemic of 1918-1919 was a global disaster, | | | | number is likely much higher than the |
| and it has been cited as the most devastating | | | | official count. Masato Tashiro, head of |
| epidemic in recorded world history. More | | | | virology at the Tokyo National Institute of |
| people died from influenza in a single year | | | | Infectious Disease, gave a presentation at a |
| than in four years of the Black Death or | | | | virology conference in Marburg, Germany, on |
| Bubonic Plague from 1347 to 1351. | | | | November 19, 2005 about unofficial bird flu |
| | | | tallies from China. He listed "several dozen" |
| Obviously, it is of vital importance that | | | | human outbreaks, nearly 300 deaths, 3000 |
| bird flu be contained, and that any infected | | | | people quarantined, and seven human-to-human |
| birds are culled. It would only require a | | | | transmissions. The meeting was reported in |
| handful of mutations in order for H5N1 avian | | | | the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine |
| flu to become a pandemic virus like the one | | | | Zeitung. |
| which spread around the world in 1918. Once | | | | |