What is avian influenza?

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Main Category: Bird Flu / Avian Flu
Also Included In: Flu / Cold / SARS
Article Date: 29 Oct 2005 - 0:00 PDT

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Bird flu, or avian influenza, is a disease cause by viruses. It is a contagious disease which infects only birds, and sometimes pigs. The avian influenza viruses attack specific species - they have, on occasions jumped the species barrier and infected people. However, this is quite rare.

As far as farmed birds are concerned (poultry), there are two main types of avian influenza - one is fairly mild while the other is deadly (for birds).

MILD

Low pathogenic forms of bird flu may cause a bird to have more ruffled feathers and lay fewer eggs. This form is often undetected among farmed poultry (in many cases the bird is infected, then gets better and nobody noticed).

DEADLY

The highly pathogenic form of bird flu is much more dangerous. It has a mortality rate of virtually 100% and spreads very rapidly among flocks of birds. A bird infected with the more virulent type of bird flu (the highly pathogenic form) experiences deterioration of many internal organs.

The most dangerous strain of the bird flu virus is called H5N1.

Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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