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Update:The nation's first vaccine against bird flu is only modestly effective, producing apparent protection in slightly over half the people who receive two mega-dose shots, initial testing shows. The worrisome findings underscore the urgency of brewing a better vaccine. source ap

Bird Flu or more correctly, avian flu, is much in the news and
causing a lot of anxiety. Many people are worried that they may
get it, and the papers are full of horror scenarios. 

There are over 100 strains of avian flu, but most of them do
not infect humans. The current strain H5N1 can infect humans,
but not easily. The number of cases of avian flu in humans in
the current outbreak is very small, and almost all have come
about by direct contact with infected or dead birds – something
that most of us are unlikely to experience. So far, the spread
of H5N1 virus from person-to-person has been rare and has not
continued beyond one person. In fact according to The Times
(London, 23rd March 2006) only 184 confirmed cases have been
reported worldwide so far from this strain, with 103 deaths.
These have been in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Thailand,
Vietnam, and most recently, several cases in Turkey. 

What the authorities are much more concerned about is the
strain mutating into a variation that can be transmitted
between human beings, rather than just from bird to human. This
has been designated as influenza A/H5N1. Humans do not have any
resistance to this strain, because these viruses do not
commonly infect humans. If a strain developed that could infect
the human population, a pandemic would be likely with many
people being infected and dying. The 1918 ‘Spanish flu’ is
estimated to have killed 50 million people worldwide. At least
four of the eight genes of H5N1 avian flu now contain mutations
seen in that deadly strain.

Jeffery K. Taubenberger, a molecular pathologist at the Armed
Forces Institute of Pathology in Rockville, USA has said:

"These H5N1 viruses might be acquiring the ability to adapt to
humans, increasing their pandemic risk ... there is a
suggestion there may be some parallel evolution going on." 

Scientists still do not understand completely how a bird virus
becomes a human virus, but H5N1 is already showing some of the
mutations necessary for it to become a human flu, but at the
moment, in spite off all the panic, there is no pandemic flu
strain.

Research in the Netherlands and the USA has shown that while
human influenza viruses are able to bind with receptors in the
windpipe, H5N1 binds only much deeper inside the lungs. This
makes it more difficult for the virus to infect humans, because
the virus is less likely to reach the inner lungs than the
windpipe. The H5N1 virus is also less likely to spread from
human to human. Coughing and sneezing easily transmits viruses
that have multiplied in the windpipe, but not those located
deep in the lungs. If H5N1 manages to mutate so that it can
replicate in the upper respiratory tract, a pandemic becomes
more likely. Scientists are constantly monitoring the virus for
this mutation.

So should we be concerned? There have been many scares over the
years that have not come to anything, and this could turn out to
be one of those too, but it is worth taking some sensible
precautions rather than just relying on the scientists to find
a powerful enough solution. Having a strong immune system has
to be the first line of defence. Eating a good diet, taking
exercise, getting plenty of sleep, and reducing stress can all
lead to a stronger immune system that can fight more
effectively against the bugs of this world and any dangerous
mutations.

References:
Daily News Central: Bird Flu on Similar Evolutionary Path as
1918 Killer Virus

Centers For Disease Control & Prevention: Key Facts About Avian
Influenza (Bird Flu) and Avian Influenza A (H5N1) Virus

The Times (London) 21 January 2006 and 23 March 2006 

The Guardian (London) 1 March 2006


About The Author: Jane Thurnell-Read delights in making
information on health more understandable and accessible. Visit
her web site http://www.healthandgoodness.com for more ideas and
information.


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