Bird Flu / Asian Flu / H5N1 FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

• How do humans get infected?
  Until the 1997 Hong Kong outbreak Bird Flu was thought only to infect birds. Most people have gotten infected through extended contact with live birds. Many of the infected live in poor rural areas and own domestic poultry flocks which often roam freely. Birds secrete the virus in their faeces which dry, become pulverised and are inhaled. The recant discovery that bird flu can affect all parts of the body; not just the heart and lungs has caused more concerns among the scientific community. The result of this could prove to be that many thought to have died of an unrelated condition, actually had undetected avian influenza.
• How many have been infected so far?
  There are now over some 120 confirmed cases with over 60 deaths. All cases of poultry to human infection have occurred in Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, and Cambodia.
• Is my KFC/Nando’s still safe?
  You’ll be glad to know it is. Avian flu is not a food borne virus, and in fact very hard to get infected with. Even poultry from infected areas can be consumed providing they have been properly prepared and cooked at a high temperature. H5N1 is sensitive to heat and normal oven temperatures (70oC) will kill the virus. Consumers should also be aware of the possibility of cross-contamination, especially when handling raw food. So to conclude Avian Influenza can not be passed on through properly cooked food and there is no evidence to the contrary. Bon appetite!
• What are the warning signs?
  The severity of infliction depends both upon the species of bird it infects, as well as the strain of virus. Birds infected with HPAI (Highly pathogenic avian influenza) may die suddenly or show a range of clinical signs such as swollen heads, respiratory signs and loss of appetite. Strains with mild lower pathogens often cause milder symptoms or even none at all. Some birds especially waterfowl can be infected without showing any signs of illness.
• What is Avian Flu?
  Bird Flu, or Avian Influenza as it is scientifically known is a highly contagious disease affecting many species of bird; both domestic and wild. In a worrying turn of events it has also started effecting humans as well as other mammalian species, with the majority of deaths occurring in South-East Asia. The illness is caused by a Type A influenza virus. This is one of the most significant forms of poultry disease, and devastating outbreaks have occurred from time to time across the globe. Here in the UK it was last confirmed among a flock of 8000 turkeys in Norfolk back in 1991. More recently the UK has also had a recent case of HPAI (Highly pathogenic avian influenza) in a bird quarantine facility.
• Which virus’s cause highly pathogenic disease?
  Within Avian Influenza 16 H types and 9 N types are currently recognised. So far only strains H5 and H7 are known to cause the highly pathogenic form of the disease. As currently understood, when first introduced to poultry flocks these strains are in their mild low pathogenic form. It is often only after a few months that the virus will mutate into something far more lethal. Hence the underlying fear among scientists is that even mild conditions can easily become mass killers often devastating poultry stocks.