“Understanding Avian Influenza: bird flu Risks, Transmission, and Prevention Measures”

According to a report from state officials, a person in Texas is undergoing treatment for avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu. This development comes amidst recent outbreaks of the deadly virus affecting dairy cows in five states.

READ: New York Businesses Ordered to Require Masks Indoors or Vaccine Proof

Bird flu

The situation represents the first documented case globally of a person contracting the H5N1 strain of bird from a mammal. It also marks just the second human case of the illness in the United States, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The previous instance occurred in 2022 when an individual with exposure to infected poultry became infected.

Dean Blumberg, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at UC Davis Health, has provided insights into various aspects of bird to help the public understand the disease.

What is bird flu?
Bird  is caused by influenza strains that typically infect wild birds globally. These strains can also lead to outbreaks among commercial or backyard poultry, and occasionally affect other animals.

What are the symptoms of bird flu?
In birds, the virus can manifest with respiratory symptoms like a runny nose, coughing, or sneezing, as well as diarrhea, decreased energy, reduced egg production, or sudden death.

In humans, bird can result in flu-like symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, and muscle aches. Less frequently, individuals may experience diarrhea, vomiting, and in rare cases, seizures.

How is bird flu typically transmitted?
Most infections occur when humans come into contact with sick or deceased infected animals without wearing adequate personal protective equipment.

How can cows contract bird flu?
Various bird species may carry the infectious virus, which is shed in their saliva, mucus, and feces. Cows and other animals may become infected after exposure to this shed virus.

Is bird flu transmissible from person to person?
Bird  rarely spreads from person to person and is more commonly transmitted from animals to humans. There have been no documented instances of sustained human-to-human transmission.

Has bird flu evolved to facilitate human-to-human transmission?
Currently, there is no evidence suggesting that bird  has become more easily transmissible among humans. However, there’s always a possibility that the virus could evolve to enhance human-to-human spread. Most human infections can be traced back to close contact with sick or deceased animals.

Should people refrain from consuming beef or dairy products?
Animals showing signs of illness should be culled, and their products should not be sold. Pasteurization effectively eliminates the infectious virus from contaminated milk. However, there may be a risk of transmission if unpasteurized milk from an infected animal is consumed.

How is bird flu treated in humans?
Treatment for bird  in humans is similar to that for influenza, with the antiviral medication oseltamivir (Tamiflu) remaining effective against the virus.

How can individuals protect themselves from bird flu?
Preventative measures include avoiding unprotected contact with sick or deceased animals, including birds and poultry. For those working with animals, full personal protective equipment should be worn to minimize the risk of exposure to the virus. This includes an N95 mask or equivalent, goggles, gloves, gown, head cover, and boot covers.