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With the media constantly at our finger tips, it is impossible to not hear about the Bird flu. However, many of the news sources don't tell you about specific cases. Are there really that many people dying from the illness? Which animals are suffering more and why? These questions rarely come up
in-depth, and therefore it is hard to truly analyze the situation. Nonetheless, it needs to be seen in its
entirety, which will allow people to not feel so nervous about the virus that is killing millions of birds each year.
Although most cases are animal based, there have been over two hundred incidents affecting humans in the past ten years. The first incident was in 1997 in Hong Kong. According to The World Health Organization, "Highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) infections occurred in both poultry and humans. This was the first time an avian influenza A virus transmission directly from birds to humans had been found. During this outbreak, 18 people were hospitalized and six of them died." In order for the country to keep the virus at bay, they were forced to kill millions of birds. Luckily this somewhat stopped the constant spread of infection between birds and people. However, it was only the beginning.
The second incident occurred again in Hong Kong. This time it was two years later and was less pathogenic than the previous
occurrence. Two children suffered a case of avian influenza, but fully recovered. Although the source was unknown, many saw evidence pointing to infected poultry being the culprit. However, there was not enough proof to rule out other suggestions. For instance, some felt that perhaps the children picked up the virus from another human.
The next few incidents lurked behind the shadows for many years before they surfaced. 2003 was quite a big year for the Bird Flu and Hong Kong was its main victim. According to The World Health Organization,
"Two cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) infection occurred among members of a Hong Kong family that had traveled to China. One person recovered, the other
died." However, testing was minimal and no one was able to trace where these family members contracted the disease. Other incidents in 2003 included 89 outbreaks in the Netherlands, while the United States finally had its first
occurrence. In New York City, a patient with unknown
symptoms was rushed to the hospital with severe respiratory problems. Tests suggested that indeed the patient was suffering from avian flu. Again, no one was sure how he contacted the illness. This made it very difficult for anyone to find a connection with all of these patients.
Recently, more cases have also surfaced. In 2004, Canada and Vietnam both had highly pathogenic victims of the Avian Flu. Luckily symptoms were mild, and only consisted of minor infections and eye problems. Both patients recovered quite quickly, but there was no evidence where they had picked up the disease.
It is quite clear that although human cases are somewhat rare, they do still exist. According to the World Health Organization,
"Four different influenza antiviral drugs
(Amantadine, Rimantadine, Oseltamivir, and
Zanamivir) are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment and prevention of influenza. All four have activity against influenza A
viruses." However, similar to such cases in Asia, there are many patients whose bodies resist the medication and therefore are put at a higher risk. Fortunately, medication is constantly evolving and more trials are being done as we speak.
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