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H5N1 Virus- Mutating
Around Mankind
Avian influenza does not normally
infect species other than birds and pigs. But humans came
down with the bird flu in Hong Kong in 1997...
Date : January 06, 2006
Avian influenza does not normally
infect species other than birds and pigs. But humans came
down with the bird flu in Hong Kong in 1997, when the H5N1
strain infecting 18 humans, 6 of whom died. Hong Kong's entire
poultry population, estimated at around 1.5 million birds,
was destroyed within three days.
People catch bird flu by contact
with infected birds or even bird droppings. However, people
don't catch the virus from eating fully cooked chicken or
eggs. The World Health Organization has said the H5N1
bird flu virus is responsible for a number of deaths in
Vietnam.
They suspect people became ill
after coming into contact with chicken feces. Though there
have been a few cases where one infected person caught the
bird flu virus from another person- but only after close personal
contact.
H5N1- how Dangerous
can it be
Of the 15 avian influenza virus
subtypes, H5N1 is of particular concern because:
-
It can cause severe disease in humans.
-
It mutates rapidly and seems to acquire
genes from viruses infecting other animal species.
-
Birds that survive infection excrete
virus for at least 10 days, orally and in feces, helping
spread the virus at live poultry markets and by migratory
birds.
-
The more birds that come down with
bird flu, the greater the opportunity for direct infection
of humans.
-
The more humans get infected, the
greater the likelihood people can become infected with
both human and bird flu strains.
-
Humans could then serve as a "mixing
vessel" for a new type of virus that could easily
be transmitted from person to person. Such an event would
mark the start of an influenza pandemic.
Roche Tamiflu- Effective
against H5N1 Strains
Experts believe that Tamiflu
can be a very effective against H5N1 strains of Flu Virus.
According to them the drug is a deadly weapon against avian
and human forms of the virus. In a study the researchers said
that Tamiflu (oseltamivir) is effective against the strain
that is now hitting Vietnam and Thailand. Tamiflu is a neuraminidase
inhibitor; it blocks the action of the viral enzymes.
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