What is “Bird Flu”?
Bird Flu also called avian influenza caused by H5N1 virus, is a contagious disease in birds/animals caused by certain viruses that infect birds. The mild form is not fatal, but other form is highly pathogenic avian influenza, which is extremely contagious and fatal. Death can occur in 24hrs in birds.
Bird – or Avian – flu, often mis-spelled as bird flue or avian flue, is caused by a virus that usuallyinfects birds (particularly poultry) but occasionally crosses the speciesbarrier and infects humans – recently predominantly in the Far East, although it also happens elsewhere. It is not correct to refer to it as “avian bird flu” as many internet searches suggest.
Bird flu is the common name for avian influenza. It is a disease of birds that is mostly found in wild birds. Sometimes bird flu can spread from wild birds to domestic poultry. There are many strains or types of bird flu virus. Right now there is a type of bird flu virus – the H5N1 strain – that has made many birds and some people sick in other parts of the world.
Avian flu, also called bird flu, is flu that originally occurs in birds such as chickens, ducks, waterfowl, and other species. Outbreaks of various avian flu viruses have occurred on several continents including North America in the last five years. A serious new strain of avian flu, called H5N1, has been found in birds in Africa, Asia, and Europe, with the highest concentration of the disease in Southeast Asia. It is transmitted from bird to bird. As wild birds migrate, they spread the disease to wild and domesticated birds in other countries. The ongoing outbreak of avian flu H5N1 has resulted in the killing of millions of chickens and other domestic birds to control the spread of the disease.
Bird Flu” or Avian Influenza is a highly contagious viral disease that can classified as either low pathogenic (low mortality) or high pathogenic (up to 100% mortality). Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza like the common flu in humans is a common annual event in birds. High Pathogenic Avian Influenza like the H5N1 virus circulating in Asia, Europe, and Africa is less common.
