Simply put, the easiest way to avoid the flu is to take precautionary measures. More specifically, an easy and practical way involves visiting the hospital for your seasonal flu shot. Regardless of this, there are still many other excellent ways in which to take pre-emptive action against the flu; one of the most popular is through exercise.

Following a daily fitness routine can keep you out of the hospital and in to all the things that you love to do regularly (i.e. – sports, partying, etc…). As nasty as the flu virus is, it becomes ever more popular as the frost approaches, and as these cooler months draw near, it becomes increasingly difficult to get to the gym. Our muscles begin to tighten, and our bones slowly begin to ache. Once daylight savings hits, most individuals are already lacking in sleep and becoming greatly fatigued. In addition to all of this, a lack of vitamin D (sun) can be quite detrimental to your health!

Despite, it’s very important that as healthy human beings we remain active. There are plenty of ways to do so:

Intramurals (i.e. – hockey, skiing, etc…)

Weight-Lifting

Aerobics

Cardio (i.e. – Treadmills, Ellipticals,)

Snowmobiling

Dance

Sledding

Shockingly, one of the most intriguing forms of exercise for the 21^st century happens to involve video games. More and more people are flocking to the stores to buy Wii Fit, and other such interactive consoles. Again, it’s strongly recommended to explore these new innovative ways to stay in shape. This is particularly true for people who don’t normally exercise or play sports; it can become increasingly difficult to stay fit without exercise.

Some people are even engaging in things like Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) to brush up on self-defense. Training for such activities requires rigorous workout regimens and long hours at the gym.

Having said that, remember to supplement your exercise routines with selective diets. Things like nutrition, diet, water, meditation (i.e. – yoga), and vitamin C will keep your body healthy and allow you to feel strong and alert throughout the cold season.

Poor Hygiene; Sleeplessness; Malnutrition – These are all traits of somebody who is regularly sick. Avoiding the flu really comes down to how well you take care of your mind and body – If you exercise and follow most of the suggestions above, you’re guaranteed preparedness.

Jim Rollince is a writer for Gymsource.com, distributor of home exercise equipment including treadmills, ellipticals, bikes, arc trainers and more!

Bird Flu Protection And The Measures Taken To Safeguard Ourselves

Bird flu is caused by the influenza A type of virus which is hosted by birds and some animal species like pigs, horses, etc. and just like any other influenza virus it propagates via air, water, direct contact, body fluids and excreta. With the flu virus being airborne, the contamination in air could be reasonably high during epidemics and/or pandemic outbreak. Infected people carry the flu virus with them wherever they travel and spread it in the air and on objects they touch via their nasal secretions and bodily discharges. This makes such diseases like human influenza and bird flu contagious.

The preventive measures include combinations of various partly effective methods like vaccination, immunization, isolation, mass killing (when poultry birds get infected), and use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

One such PPE device is a mask worn by people living or working in contaminated environments. Nose and mouth respirators or ‘Masks’ contain filters which keep out microscopic viruses of sizes as low as 0.3 microns. Typically the droplets containing the flu virus in a human sneeze, cough or spit are 0.5 micron wide and are difficult to filter using conventional (surgical) masks.

Usage of procedural and surgical masks has been widespread for curtailing the spread of common respiratory diseases. Recently they were used by personnel involved in controlling SARS. However, Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that there have been no scientific studies which unquestionably establish masks as 100% effective in preventing the spread of the flu virus.

The masks that are recommended for especially bird flu are N-95, NIOSH approved ones which are capable of filtering out 95% of 0.3 micron wide flu viruses. WHO recommends strictly using these masks when in the vicinity (within 3 feet) of a potentially infected person. Also the masks should be disposed off, after one single use. Another set of very powerful, protective masks are Powered Air-Purifying Respirators (PAPRs). These are used by persons who cannot wear N-95 masks, like people with facial hair.

There is more to mask usage than just filtering out viruses. Masks can also help in many indirect ways apart from blocking flu viruses directly, however we must bear in mind an unfortunate fact that no mask is a guarantee against protecting its user from the viruses. It’s just that they dramatically cut down the probability of infection. There is no single way of preventing bird flu until a generic vaccine is developed. Until then we’ll have to rely on a combination of various measures to keep ourselves safe.

Bird Flu Preparation and Protection

Human Flu or Influenza sounds too common to alarm anyone, but if it is BIRD FLU, the situation becomes appalling from virtue of the fact that the virus is highly fatal for humans and it mutates over time into various forms thereby, making vaccination and treatment difficult. Hence only hope lies in preparation for it is said that Prevention is better than cure! Mankind has seen 3 deadly pandemics in history which left millions dead across the globe.

A White House document, titled National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza (NSPI) says so, “A pandemic, or worldwide outbreak of a new influenza virus, could … overwhelm our health and medical capabilities, potentially resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths, millions of hospitalizations and hundreds of billions of dollars in direct and indirect costs.” This gives us an idea of where we stand in terms of preparedness. The very fact that the virus keeps changing genetically makes it impossible to develop a foolproof vaccine against avian flu.

Another very important factor in flu’s spread which is worth considering is the quote by Kofi Annan, ex-UN Secretary General, “Once human-to-human transmission has been established, we will have only a few weeks to lock down the spread before it spins out of control!” At current levels of international human traffic, a localized epidemic can escalate into a global pandemic. Hence a lock down or isolation zones needs to be created wherein humans and food products from infected regions are not allowed to be transported across countries.

The preventive measures as of now consist mostly of advisories and guidelines to be followed by people and governments across the risk prone countries. Amazingly rapid advances in the field of pharmaceuticals and genetics are being made to come up with a foolproof strategy for development and deployment of vaccines against bird flu.

WHO issues regular advisories to warn travellers coming and going across flu prone areas or infected countries and people directly involved like poultry farmers, health workers, doctors, etc. of the risks involved. Precautionary measures are published across mass media in most of the countries by the governments to make people aware of the effects of Avian Flu and the guidelines to prevent it.

World Health Organization has come up with strategies for information gathering and dissemination with its bird flu operations spreading across about 82 countries with hundreds of centers, their primary aim being surveillance and rapid confirmation of suspected cases. WHO issues a list of most common suspected virus types which might strike that particular year. The vaccine development and production programs across the world follow these reports.

Some countries and agencies have started stockpiling of vaccines (like oseltamivir) effective against the most common H5N1 bird flu virus. In developing countries the major focus has been on community preparation and involving multiple agencies beyond health departments into the planning processes against bird flu, like non-governmental organizations, law, education, tourism industry, agriculture sector, etc. Training activities and pandemic simulation exercises are designed and taken up.

Unfortunately for us there are no unfailing measures which we can count on. As the virus keeps changing genetically we are unable to have pre-made accurate vaccines against it. Immunization is out of question for the same reason. Hence the only surest hope today is to know the disease and prevent its infection. In case of infections in poultry containment is done by mass killing the birds. And in cases of humans the infected region should be locked down, monitored and suspicious cases kept isolated to prevent the spread of flu. Hygiene and disinfection using even casual methods like washing and following general cleanliness guidelines at home can reduce the chances of flu infection by 99%. Preventing human exposure to diseased humans and animals is the key to prevention..

Rick’s Rant for Oct. 20th, 2009

Bird Flu Now Carried by Household Flies

“A study we are conducting here, for example, has convincingly found that it is possible for flies to spread the bird flu virus,” he said.

Wasito said the virus had been found in flies taken from places that have been declared bird flu free.

Only flies taken from locations that have never had a bird flu outbreak were always found H5N1 negative.

Through a series of laboratory tests involving flies collected from different parts of the country and using molecular research methods, Wasito and his colleagues found that the virus was found in the digestive and respiratory tracks of flies, along with the cuticle layers, flesh and ovum.

Recent Bird flu outbreaks have been categorized as either low pathogenic (LPAI) or highly pathogenic (HPAI).

The LPAI form usually attacks only the digestive and respiratory tracts, while HPAI attacks the digestive and respiratory systems along with other organs, including flesh and ovum.

“We do not yet dare to say whether the avian influenza we found in the flies is LPAI or HPAI. We can only say that in the flies, we also found the bird flu virus in other organs,” Wasito said.

He said that the research had also reveled that the virus was not only found in flies taken from areas in the middle of bird flu outbreaks.

“This means that the virus in flies is still inherited in at least the 25th generation, as the research was conducted generally two years after an outbreak,” said Wasito, explaining that the flies had a one-month life span.

He also warned that it was possible that a new type of the virus could emerge and lead to massive outbreaks of the disease in animals and humans.

He said that recent field and laboratory studies he had conducted with his colleague Hastari Wuryastuti of the school’s veterinary clinical center had found what they called a “silent” bird flu.

“This type of virus does not incite the production of antibodies in the infected bird. The bird, too, looks normal and healthy and shows no pathological lesions or other clinical symptoms that it is infected by the virus,” Wasito said.

“We have found some bird flu cases in which we could not find the antibodies in H5N1 positive birds.”

He said the danger was that because the birds looked healthy, no one would notice that they were infected with the virus. As a result, poultry farmers might give them the bird flu vaccine.

“This can lead to fatalities, as the vaccine can only be given to birds that are really healthy and bird flu free,” said Wasito.

He said he strongly suggested putting an end to mass vaccinations.

Wasito also criticized the government’s lack of scientific ground in curbing the bird flu outbreak, which had resulted in scientifically baseless policies.

Declaring that a particular region is bird flu free, for example, or providing a certificate announcing that a particular bird is free from bird flu, according to Wasito, were misleading and making people less aware of the danger of a possible outbreak.

“Socializing good bio-security is a much more effective way to deal with bird flu outbreak,” Wasito said, referring to a program that introduces communities to healthy ways of life, good farming practices and the correct way to keep an animal in a neighborhood.

He advised to make sure you are fully prepared for the crisis check out : Bird Flu Preparations

Important Facts About The Flu

The flu is a respiratory infection, despite the fact that it causes full body pain, digestive upsets, and headaches. The flu can sweep through entire communities in a matter of days, moving through schools, work places, and shopping centers.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates 5 to 20 percent of Americans are infected with the flu during each flu season, typically from November to March. Children are two to three times more likely than adults to become ill.

The CDC estimates that 200,000 people are hospitalized each year and about 36,000 people die from the flu and its complication.

The danger of the flu is that it spreads to epidemic proportions within days, and it mutates, making it difficult to prevent. Each strain of flu reacts differently in the body, making it impossible to predict how the next epidemic will hit society.

The government is now encouraging people to cough into their upper arm, or sleeve, if they do not have a tissue. They should also wipe their hands after they cough. This prevents the spread of the disease between people working in close proximity of each other.

Hand washing needs to be done with a soap based, or alcohol based hand cleaner. The new bacterial cleaners may not work unless they are alcohol based.

The elderly, newborn babies, and people with certain chronic illnesses, however, the flu and its complications can be life-threatening. The danger caused by an out-break dependsd on the virus strain.

Flu is caused by a variety of influenza viruses. Researchers identified the first strains in the 1930s. They classify influenza viruses into types A, B, and C.

• Type A is the most common and causes the serious epidemics.
• Type B outbreaks can cause epidemics, but the symptoms are milder than those in type A.
• Type C viruses, has never been connected with an epidemic.

There is no cure for the flu. The only plan of action is plenty of bed rest, drinking fluids, and taking medications that alleviate the symptoms.

This is followed by careful attention to symptoms. The flu can turn into a bacterial infection, resulting in pneumonia, within hours. It is important to remember that complications can appear after the patient starts to feel better.

Complications include a high fever, shaking, chills, chest pains, and may include vomiting and diarrhea. A doctor should be consulted if coughing produces a yellow-green mucus, especially if it is expectorated from the body. This means, that it is coughed hard from the body with force, sending it several feet away – if the patient did not have a tissue.

It is important to remember that influenza A virus is resistant to Rimantadine and amantadine. The CDC recommends that you not take these medicines to treat the flu. Avoid giving aspirin to children and adolescents with the flu, and do not take antibiotics.

IF a pandemic breaks out, visit http://www.pandemicflu.gov/ to learn the news, and learn what you can do to protect yourself and your family. This site tracks the all forms of the flu, and has tutorials to help people protect themselves in case of a flu pandemic.

the shirts: bit.ly these links are awesome! twitter.com twitter.com dailybooth.com dailybooth.com .
Video Rating: 4 / 5

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Cold and Flu -causes, Symptoms, Treatment

What is Cold and Flu

Is it a cold or the flu? While a common cold, including chest cold and head cold, can be caused by more than 200 viruses, seasonal flu is caused by either influenza A or B viruses. Cold and flu remedies can usually ease symptoms. Antiviral medications like Relenza or Tamiflu are helpful if prescribed soon after flu symptoms start.Influenza (commonly known as the flu) and colds are among the most common infections of the respiratory system. People often confuse the two, calling a bad cold the “flu,” or vice versa.

Typically, the flu (also known as influenza) has symptoms that make a child feel worse than symptoms associated with a common cold, but it’s not always that easy to tell the difference between the two.

What are the causes of the flu?
Influenza viruses are divided into three types, designated A, B, and C. Influenza types A and B are responsible for epidemics of respiratory illness that occur almost every winter and are often associated with increased rates of hospitalization and death. Influenza type C differs from types A and B in some important ways.

The truth is, the flu and the common cold are caused by viruses. People get sick more often in the winter because they are exposed to each other more in the winter than in the summer. When it is cold outside, people tend to stay inside and are more likely to spread germs to one another.

The flu is caused by three types (strains) of viruses — influenza A, B and C. Type A is responsible for the deadly influenza pandemics (worldwide epidemics) that strike every 10 to 40 years. Type B can lead to smaller, more localized outbreaks. And either types A or B can cause the flu that circulates almost every winter. Type C has never been connected with a large epidemic.

Symptoms of Cold and Flu
Viral pharyngitis may develop gradually. It is often accompanied by the flu or a cold, and body aches. If a fever is present, it will generally be in the range of 101 degrees F or below.With cold symptoms, your nose teems with watery nasal secretions for the first few days. Later, these become thicker and darker. Dark mucus is natural and does not usually mean you have developed a bacterial infection, such as a sinus infection.

Recognizing the symptoms of the common cold is important for a few reasons. If you realize what symptoms are bothering you the most, you will know which medications will help relieve them.

Introduction to cold, flu, and allergy treatments
Every year, millions of people use over-the-counter (OTC) products to relieve nasal stuffiness and congestion, sneezing, runny noses, sore throat, and cough. The common causes of these symptoms include the viruses that cause the common cold, influenza virus, allergic rhinitis (hay fever), and sinus infections (sinusitis).

ince it is caused by a virus, antibiotics do not work against the common cold. These types of upper respiratory infections go away on their own and taking antibiotics will not help your child get better any faster and will likely not prevent secondary bacterial infections, such as an ear infection or sinus infection.

For thick phlegm, patients may try cough medications that contain guaifenesin (Robitussin, Scot-Tussin Expectorant), which loosens mucus. Patients should not suppress coughs that produce mucus and phlegm; it is important to expel this substance. To loosen phlegm, patients should drink plenty of fluids and use a humidifier or steamer.Take paracetamol to control fever, aches and pains (adults can use aspirin). Early use of antiviral medication may shorten the length and severity of illness. Consult a doctor to discuss treatment.

Two Stock Picks for the Cold and Flu Season

In this article, SpeculatingStocks.com discusses two stock picks for the 2008 – 2009 cold and flu season: MTXX and RAD. SpeculatingStocks.com discusses two stock picks for this cold and flu season. SpeculatingStocks.com has picked hundreds of stock picks in the past and regularly comments on stock picks, penny stocks, hot stocks and small cap stocks on SpeculatingStocks.com and in their stock newsletter. Now, is the time to be looking at stocks again, particularly the cold and flu sector as the stock market begins to find a market bottom and investors research key, timely sectors. MTXX is the developer and marketer of the Zicam cold and flu remedy brand with a distribution network that includes Wal-Mart, Walgreens, and CVS. SpeculatingStocks.com’s second stock pick for the cold and flu season, RAD (Rite Aid), a drugstore retail chain with prescription and over-the-counter medication for cold and flu and other ailments. SpeculatingStocks.com Stock Pick: Matrixx Initiatives, Inc. (MTXX) Stock Price: .77 Matrixx Initiatives, Inc. is engaged in the development and marketing of over-the-counter healthcare products that utilize the company’s drug delivery systems. Its wholly-owned subsidiary, Zicam, LLC, markets and sells Zicam® and Nasal Comfort(TM) products in the cough and cold category. MTXX also offers Zicam Multi-Symptom Cold and Flu Relief products, which utilize a spoon dosing delivery to provide relief of cold and flu symptoms. MTXX is a perennial cold and flu season stock play and well known for that fact. MTXX dropped the last four trading days creating a buying opportunity to play this year’s cold and flu season. MTXX’s over-the-counter cold and flu products are sold at several large national retailers including Wal-Mart, Walgreens, and CVS. Zicam is one of the top three cough, cold and allergy growth brands and its multi-symptom cold and flu products account for 45% of the company’s retail sales growth. MTXX has an attractive brand and sold distribution network in place. We believe MTXX will have another cold and flu season move. SpeculatingStocks.com Stock Pick: Rite Aid Corporation (RAD) Stock Price: .31 Rite Aid Corporation is a drugstore chain with more than 4,900 stores in 31 states and the District of Columbia. The company’s fiscal 2008 annual sales totaled more than .3 billion. Rite Aid is a major brand that continues to expand. Patients fill their prescriptions at Rite Aid for various ailments and shop for over-the-counter medication for cold and flu and other illnesses. RAD has been down significantly this year, but we see the potential for a major turn around in the future for RAD. Three independent proxy advisory firms have recommended RAD stockholders support RAD’s Board of Directors’ plan for a reverse split. The reverse stock split could be approved on December 2nd. Reverse stock split is never a good phrase to investors, but in this case it looks like it must be done and we believe most of the negativity is already priced into RAD. After the reverse split, we expect investors to look at RAD in a new, refreshing light. We believe RAD will receive major attention as a cold and flu season play over the next 1 – 2 months. Also, we expect RAD to begin its turn around. At SpeculatingStocks.com, we believe it is important to find the right small cap stocks and penny stocks at the right time in their stock chart and business cycle. With MTXX and RAD, we believe we have found two stocks that have a great chance at becoming hot stocks in the short-term. About SpeculatingStocks.com: SpeculatingStocks.com releases penny stocks, penny stock picks, small cap stock picks and discusses hot stocks in the stock market on a daily basis. We are focused on value stocks and finding the best stocks and investment opportunities. We provide a market update each day on market trends and scour the market for undervalued stocks and growth stocks to release to our stock membership group and stock market newsletter. We use our proprietary stock research for choosing our stock picks. SpeculatingStocks.com also discusses pink sheets and OTCBB stocks. For more stock information, go to SpeculatingStocks.com for day trading alerts, momentum stocks and stock market articles. Join our stock newsletter. This article is the opinion of SpeculatingStocks.com, Inc. SpeculatingStocks.com, Inc. is not a registered investment advisor and nothing contained in any materials released by us should be construed as a recommendation to buy or sell any securities. Please read our legal disclaimer at speculatingstocks.com/LegalDisclaimer.html.

Research Report Chinese Bird Flu Vaccine Industry, 2009

Zoonosis refers to a kind of infectious disease that plagues between animals and human beings. Some plagues, though discovered, spread widely all over the world. Others are newly found, such as the swine flu.

It may be more difficult to deal with those newly-discovered diseases which often result in big disaster for people know little about it. Zoonosis is usually caused by such close contacts between animals and human beings as husbandry, hunting and eating.

The swine flu has been discovered gradually in Mexico and USA since Mar, 2009 and it represents a trend of outbreak. It is A-type flu virus which contains the DNA gene of bird flu, swine flu and human flu virus.

Man is infected by the swine flu virus in the way that the swine flu virus causes a respiratory disease. After man caught this virus, similar symptoms will appear. At the early stage of this disease, Oseltamivir will be useful but man will show a resistance to Amantadine and Rimantadine.

It is reported by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that there is no specific medicine at present. Perhaps the capsule “Tamiflu” produced by Roche and the spray medicine “Relenza” by GlaxoSmithKline will be useful for people to fight against swine flu.

Bird flu refers to an infectious disease among birds which is caused by influenza A virus. Injecting the bird flu vaccine into animals’ bodies may effectively prevent the spread of the virus.

According to records, the first person who was infected by the bird flu virus was discovered in Hong Kong in 1997, when the virus H5N1 made 18 people catch respiratory disease and even caused 6 deaths. Meanwhile, the death rate kept high all over the world, counted by WHO.

As a significant way of medical treatment, vaccines, if provided sufficiently and quickly, will reduce the number of injuries and deaths.

It is forecast that the market size of China’s bird flu vaccine for both animals and human beings will maintain a 10% to 20% annual growth from 2009 to 2012, for the spread of swine flu has caused a panic throughout the world.

To get more details, please visit http://www.shcri.com/reportdetail.asp?id=294

Related Flu Articles

Bird Flu is Still a Threat for Humanity

Bird flu, also known as avian influenza is a disease which affects the birds, especially the poultry, in different extents. The bird flu is produced by subtypes of influenza A virus and it sheds in the wild birds which transmit the virus to the poultry. The H5N1 subtype is considered to be the most pathogenic virus from all the subtypes of influenza A virus.

Chicken, ducks and turkeys get infected if they get in contact with discharges from infected birds, infected water, and infected vehicles. The eggs can also contaminate the incubator if they are from infected hens.

The birds which survive the infection can spread the virus for another period of at least 10 days through secretions, discharges and feathers.

The virus can easily spread in the area if a contaminated bird is left to roam freely; if it drinks water from the place other birds drink, this way contaminating the water. Cars can spread the virus also from one place to another if they are not disinfected properly. Shoes, cages and clothing are also a way of spreading the virus.

Humans can get infected if they get into close contact with ill birds. People who transport poultry, who feed them and clean the place the birds live in, are exposed to the virus if the birds are infected. Eating cooked chicken meal is not dangerous as the virus gets inactivated at heat.

Until now human to human transmission was not encountered.

The governments are concerned that the virus could mutate and achieve the ability of transmitting itself from one person to another. This could lead to a global pandemic and millions of people might die. Also, if this problem is not solved quickly the poultry industry will suffer and the economy of the country will drop.

In chicken the bird flu gives these symptoms: diarrhea, muscle weakness, breathing problems, sudden deaths, facial swelling, and a decline in the egg production.

In humans the symptoms of bird flu are: fever, muscle pain, sore throat and then cough, breathing problems and multi-organ failure in the last stage of the disease.

As there are so many diseases which manifest very much alike with bird flu the doctors must be very careful when diagnosing bird flu. If the patient got into close contact with a sick bird, or handles bird cages, laboratory tests will be done to see exactly if there is a bird flu infection.

There has not been yet discovered an effective vaccine against bird flu virus. The only thing humans can do is take a shot for a human influenza virus to prevent the recombination between the bird flu virus and human flu virus which could form a more threatening virus.

In order to prevent bird flu people must avoid getting into close contact with birds or their discharges; must not buy any living bird illegally as they are not controlled by the veterinaries, must report any suspect death of a bird to the authorities, and must disinfect properly after handling bird products.

For more information about bird flu or even about symptoms of bird flu please review this page http://www.bird-flu-info-center.com/symptoms-of-bird-flu.htm

Is it Possible a Global Pandemic Because of Bird Flu?

Since 2003 poultry and other birds have been continuously affected by the bird flu virus. Humans also got affected and it seems that since 16 January 2007, 267 cases of human bird flu infection were registered. These patients got into close contact with infected birds and that is why they got infected too. 161 persons from the group of 267 did not survive the contamination.

Until now scientists declared that the virus is still unable to transmit from human to human, but the population is still concerned about the avian flu as there is a possibility for the virus to mix with a human flu virus and then pass from human to human.

All viruses have the possibility to mutate or mix with other viruses and transform in to more dangerous ones. In case this thing happens a global pandemic can occur and millions of people will die if researchers do not fid an effective vaccine soon.

Until now governments have instituted flu immunization programs to protect those who work with poultry and can contact the virus if the poultry is affected.

This vaccination program is voluntary but until now all the personnel from the poultry industry has presented for a shot. This vaccine is protecting humans from catching the flu human type of virus and so it reduces the possibility for the bird flu virus to mix with a human virus and transform into a more dangerous one. This seasonal flu vaccination does not protect humans against the bird flu virus.

As scientists tell us the bird flu is a disease which affects birds and is highly contagious among them. It is produced by the influenza A viruses. Birds can be mild affected by some viruses and so they develop only mild symptoms, but they can also be severe affected by other viruses which lead to their death. It seems that the bird flu virus is one of the most pathogenic strains of virus that can affect a bird.

The virus is shed in feathers, droppings and secretions of birds and so it can easily spread to other birds and even humans through inhalation or ingestion.

The most affected birds are the poultry. It seems that the wild birds like ducks and geese are the carriers of the virus but they do not have any symptoms of the illness. These birds are spreading the virus to the poultry which will develop the disease as they are more vulnerable to epidemics.

The influenza A virus has many different subtypes. The H5 subtypes along with the H5N1 are considered to be quite dangerous and are a threat to humans. The H7 and H9 also caused severe infections in poultry but none of them was as dangerous as H5N1 is.

The outbreak of H5N1 began in mid-December 2003 in poultry from South Korea and until now it has affected birds from Asia, Europe, Middle East and Africa. This virus resembles very much with the one that caused a lot of damage among poultry in 1997 in Hong Kong.

The world governments have instituted controls in order to prevent illegal importation of dead poultry, of living birds or illegal entries of ill persons in certain countries.

For more information about bird flu or even about asian bird flu please review this page http://www.bird-flu-info-center.com/asian-bird-flu.htm