What is avian flu ?
Bird flu is also known as avian influenza, a type of viral infection. It infects not only birds but also humans and other animals. However, the virus is mainly confined to birds only and in very rare cases humans are also infected with it.More than a dozen bird flu infections have been identified so far, including two types of viruses that have recently infected humans. Both these viruses are known as ‘H5N1’ and ‘H7N9’. When bird flu attacks the human body, it can cause a fatal situation.
Many times birds are not sick with this infection, so healthy looking birds are also prone to this infection. Due to this, people exposed to healthy looking birds may also have an increased risk of spreading the infection. In humans, the infection is mainly spread by direct contact with an infected animal or contaminated environment. These viruses do not have the ability to spread from one person to another.
Early symptoms of bird flu in humans include high fever, lower and upper respiratory tract infections (upper normal).
To test for bird flu, doctors will check your symptoms and signs and ask you about your recent trip or contact with a bird etc. Some types of lab tests may also be required for infection with bird influenza in humans.
Treatment involves resting, drinking adequate amounts of water, eating a healthy diet, and taking antiviral medications.
Name of bird flu virus and discovery of bird flu –
In addition, ‘H7N9’ is also a type of bird flu virus, which has recently infected humans. Significantly, most types of bird flu viruses do not infect humans.
Other name of Bird Flu –
Bird flu is also known as avian influenza. “Avian” means bird, and influenza is the full form of “flu“. However, in India it is mostly known as bird flu.
Symptoms and Identification of Bird Flu –
What symptoms start when you get bird flu? Individuals infected with H5N1 may develop severe symptoms. After entering the body, these viruses take 2 to 8 days to spread the infection, sometimes up to 17 days. Whereas in seasonal common flu, symptoms start appearing 2 or 3 days after a person becomes infected.
The following signs and symptoms may appear when infected with bird flu:
- Cough (usually dry cough)
- Sore throat or hoarse voice
- High fever, above 38 centigrade (100.4 Fahrenheit)
- Closed nose or runny nose
- Bone pain
- Joint pain
- Muscle aches
- nose bleeding
- Pain in chest
- Chills and colt sweats (sweating due to fever or illness)
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Loss of appetite
- Trouble sleeping
- Stomach problems can sometimes be a diarrhea problem.
- Bleeding gums
- Blood sputum
When should the doctor see?
If you have a sudden fever, cough or body ache and have recently traveled to an area where the risk of bird flu is high. In such a situation one should immediately go to the doctor immediately after feeling these symptoms. If you have been to a farm or open market recently, tell your doctor about it well.
Bird Flu Causes & Risk Factors
How does bird flu spread? H5N1 occurs naturally in wild birds, but it can easily spread to domestic birds and poultry farms, etc. The disease is transmitted to humans through contact with an infected bird’s stool, nose, mouth, or eyes.
Eggs or poultry (such as poultry) obtained from infected birds do not spread infection after cooking them properly, but eggs from them should never be eaten raw. If the meat obtained from them is cooked at a high temperature, it is considered safe. And the risk of infection is minimal.
When does the risk of bird flu increase?
The biggest risk factor for bird flu is exposure to infected birds or exposure to contaminated things like feathers, sputum and feces. In very rare cases, bird flu spreads from one person to another. If bird flu does not spread from one person to another, but infected birds are at greatest risk of spreading the infection.
- Some people become infected with H5N1 while doing bird cleaning and other related work.
- Living in living bird areas and breathing in a dusty environment that includes feces of infected birds or particles infected with them.
- It is also possible that some people become infected after swimming or bathing in contaminated water from feces of infected birds.
Other bird flu risk factors –
- Health worker who takes care of infected patients
- Members of his household living with an infected patient
- Poultry farm workers
- A traveler who travels in infected areas
- Contact with an infected bird
- Persons eating undercooked or raw eggs and chicken
Prevention of Bird Flu
How to prevent bird flu infection?
If you are traveling in an area where there is an outbreak of bird flu, then the following public health tips should be kept in mind:
Stay away from domesticated birds:
Wash your hands thoroughly:
Ask about influenza vaccines:
Chicken and Egg Products –
Avoid cross contamination:
Cook well:
Keep raw eggs aside:
Diagnosis of Bird Flu
How is bird flu tested?
- Timely testing of infection can improve treatment outcome.
- The doctor will check your signs and symptoms and ask you about a recent trip or contact with a bird.
Your doctor will do some tests to check for the presence of viruses that cause bird flu, including the following:
- Escalation: This is a test that helps detect abnormal breath sounds.
- Difference in white blood cells
- Nasopharyngeal culture: A simple lab test to detect infections in the upper respiratory tract.
- chest X-ray
- Some additional tests can also be done to check your heart, kidney and liver functions.
- A sample (swab of throat or spit sample) is taken from the respiratory and sent to the lab. People should get the test done within 4 to 5 days of seeing the symptoms.
- H5N1 flu test, which detects influenza A / H5N1 or bird flu from the nose or throat collected from patients with flu-like symptoms.
- In less than 40 minutes, the test can identify a specific protein (NS1) that indicates the presence of H5N1 virus.
However, A5N1 is a relatively rare condition, so if a person has not been to H5N1 infected areas and has not come in contact with a bird, doctors do not perform a bird flu test because they do not expect an infection. We do.
Bird Flu Treatment
How is bird flu treated?
Flu Medications:
These medicines are given soon after the symptoms appear:
- Tamiflu
- Relenza
- Rapivab
These drugs are used to fight bird flu, although further studies are needed to properly assess their utility.
Antiviral drugs can also be given to your family members or someone close to you, so that they can be prevented from spreading the infection before they become ill. A bird flu patient is kept slightly different from other family members so that the infection does not spread to another person.
If you have developed a serious infection, your doctor may prescribe a breathing machine.
If you have been exposed to bird flu and are starting to develop symptoms, go to the doctor as soon as possible and do not try to treat the infection at home.
Other remedies for bird flu –
Drink plenty of fluids like water, soups and fruit juices, etc. Do not consume water alone with other liquids and liquids, because water alone does not contain sufficient amounts of electrolytes (such as sodium and potassium). That the body needs.
Pain and fever are treated over-the-counter (available at medical stores without a prescription) with prescription medications such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and naproxen.
- must rest.
- Do not work hard
- Alcohol and tobacco should be avoided.
Use of anti-cough medicines like antihistamines and decongestants etc. to reduce the symptoms of cough.
Evaporation can also be used to open the nasal airways, which helps to correct breathing problems.
Avoid touching places where flu viruses can escape, such as handrails, telephones and doors, etc., wash your hands frequently, especially when you are in a public place or at work.
Keep a soft tissue or napkin on your mouth while coughing and sneezing. Then carefully dispose of the tissue.
Stay away from people who have symptoms of bird flu as much as possible. If you start feeling the symptoms of the flu, you should stay indoors and not go outside the house or in crowded areas. Because in such a situation the virus can spread to other people.
In humans, bird flu infection occurs in rare cases, but when it occurs once and if it is not treated in time, it becomes a fatal condition. So if bird flu is suspected, home remedies are not advised.
Infection with H5N1 causes severe illness, requiring hospitalization, isolating the patient, and intensive care.
Bird Flu Complications
What problems can cause bird flu?
Some people get pneumonia and have trouble breathing. These problems develop approximately 5 days after the first symptoms develop.
In such cases, the condition of patients declines rapidly, which can result in inferior problems.
- Pneumonia
- Eye pinkness
- Asphyxia (inability of respiratory system to function properly)
- Kidney Disorders
- Heart related problems
- Many internal organs of the body stop functioning
- In some rare cases, death
Medicines for Bird Flu
There are many medicines available for bird flu. All these medicines are given below. But keep in mind that you should not take any medicine without consulting your doctor. Taking medicines without doctor’s advice can severely damage your health.
Various info conclusion-
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Originally posted 2021-01-11 16:23:00.
