Bird flu and the Effects

In the near future, the Bird Flu will not become a devastating virus and will not take many lives through the process of human-to-human transmission. A person can become infected with the Bird Flu virus through direct contact with an infected bird’s feces or secretions; however, scientists have not observed a transformation of the Bird Flu virus to permit human-to-human infection (Lumpkin). The H5N1 strain of the Bird Flu virus, associated with the 1918 pandemic, has been known to transform into a form that allows for easy human-to-human transmission. The 1918 pandemic has shown us that the Bird Flu can become the agent of a very devastating disease and we should not take it lightly (Kirkey). On the other hand, we also know that the Bird Flu virus is not currently a threat to us because we know that it is still only a bird virus. In more recent years, the Bird Flu has been proven to transmit from human-to-human but only in rare cases; in those cases, the transmission has been observed not to transmit from more than one person (“Key Facts about Avian Influenza and Avian Influenza a Virus”). The Bird Flu virus has been an ongoing problem for us because we do not really know when the virus will transform into a form that allows for human-to-human transferability. The H5N1 strain of Bird Flu is the strain that scientists have recently discovered and have linked to the 1918 flu pandemic (Kirkey). People have learned a lot about the Bird Flu virus, the disease that it causes in birds and in humans, how it has caused prior pandemics, and how it is behaving now. Because we know that the Bird Flu has been presenting itself for many years, one question we might ask is, “Why is there such a great concern now?”

The 1918 pandemic was the first demonstration that Bird Flu is an important and dangerous virus because it had killed millions of people (Kirkey). In modern times, the infection of a farm goose in Guangdong Province, China in 1996 was the first reported case of the Bird Flu (“H5N1 Avian Influenza: Timeline”). Reported cases of Bird Flu extend from 1996 until now. The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported cases that include a mix of bird and human cases (“H5N1 Avian Influenza: Timeline”). It is interesting to note one particular case of Bird Flu that Turkey reported to the World Health Organization on October 13, 2005 (“Bird Flu Reaches Fringes of Europe”). Turkey has banned the importing of infected poultry, so that in will not reach other provinces and states (“Bird Flu Reaches Fringes of Europe”). This instance of Bird Flu has made it very difficult to judge whether the virus will go further. Another case of Bird Flu was reported in Indonesia on October 26, 2005. Indonesia also reported that four persons had died from the Bird Flu (Rueters). Viral contraction of the Bird Flu does not take place through human-to-human contact. The virus is transmitted to humans by the feces andor the secretion of the infected poultry (“Key Facts about Influenza and Avian Influenza a Virus”). On February 23, 2005 Dr. Shigeru Omi, The WHO’s Western Pacific Regional director stated, “We at WHO believe that the world is now in the gravest possible danger of a pandemic” (“WHO: Bird Flu Pandemic is Imminent”). On the other hand, on November 3, 2005, a writer from the Oklahoma News stated that the Bird Flu is not imminent (“Physicians Say Flu Pandemic Likely in Oklahoma, but not this Year”). The above information gives a good indication of the impact of the Bird Flu in the past and an indication of the possible impact in the future.

The fact the Bird Flu is just that, a “Bird Flu,” could make one believe that it will not transform into a form that allows for human-to-human transmission in the near future. Just looking at the current fact of the Bird Flu, one can easily conclude that Bird Flu is not a real threat to us in the near future, and maybe not in the distant future. On December 10, 2005 Jeffrey C. Worthington, director of quality for Office of Environmental Information stated that the Bird Flu virus with happen later rather than sooner because there is not enough evidence to support its change (Worthington). On October 13, 2005, Daniel J. Denoon, a writer from FOX News, stated that the Bird Flu pandemic is probably not imminent (Denoon). Denoon also states that the Bird Flu is still a bird disease and the H5N1 strain does not spread easily for human-to-human transmission (Denoon). Dr. Brett Cauthen of the Oklahoma State Department of Health stated that “a flu pandemic is not imminent” (“Physicians Say Flu Pandemic Likely in Oklahoma, but not this Year”). Because of the advances in medicine, Cauthen stated that real impact of a possible flu pandemic would not be as devastating as the 1918 pandemic (“Physicians Say Flu Pandemic Likely in Oklahoma, but not this Year”). Just because these three experts have stated that the Bird Flu is not something to worry about in the near future does not change the fact that humans may still want to take precautions against a potential pandemic. Dr. Julie Gerberding, The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated on February 22, 2005, “We are… not on the brink of an avian flu pandemic” (Bonner). Therefore, if the “head” of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can state that the Flu pandemic is not imminent, what should we believe? On November 11, 2005, the WHO stated that the Bird Flu virus is now endemic in birds (meaning that the infection is steadily maintained) for many parts of Indonesia, and Viet Nam and in some parts of China, Cambodia, and Thailand (Stoppler and Lee). These four opinions from expert sources seem to indicate that we do not have to be frightened of a near pandemic or any pandemic at all. There may be some possible risk in assuming that the Bird Flu pandemic is not imminent. On the other hand, to be worried about something that is not close, near-by, or on your doorstep may be an over reaction. We have to look at the whole situation. We should believe in our scientists and the people that have been studying the pandemics for years to prepare us for a potential pandemic. It is important that citizens should consider the information provided by the experts in WHO, doctors, and scientists and decide for ourselves that there will not be a pandemic in the near future, but possibly in the distant future.

Because the Bird Flu is a virus that has the potential to transmit to human by contact with the infected birds feces and/or secretions, we could conclude that the Bird Flu will transform easily to a human-to-human transference type. The many reported cases and deaths of humans contracting the Bird Flu virus can make us believe that a pandemic is imminent (Cumulative Number of Confirmed Human Cases of Avian Influenza Reported to WHO). There have been many cases of many birds infected with the Bird Flu virus in eastern countries, but not as many human cases. Just because there are humans infected with the Bird Flu virus does not mean that those humans can transfer the virus to another human being yet. We must understand the Bird Flu virus is still a bird virus and that it is not a human virus (Denoon). Therefore, in order for the Bird Flu virus to become a human virus, it must gain the ability to transfer from human-to-human. On February 23, 2005, Dr. Shigeru Omi stated that the world is “now overdue” for a pandemic because mass pandemics occur every 20-30 years, because it has been nearly 40 years since the last pandemic (“WHO: Bird Flu Pandemic is Imminent”). In this case, is there really a “window of opportunity” for the Bird Flu to rear its ugly face again? Probably not because it is still just a bird virus, and there have been only rare cases of the Bird Flu to transmit from human-to-human (“Key Facts about Avian Influenza and Avian Influenza a Virus”). Of course, if one is really concerned about the Bird Flu in the near future, a hand solution can be purchased to counteract the Bird Flu (“Antiseptica”). However, how effective is that really going to be? What if the Bird Flu is an airborne virus, what then? The person’s hands remain a little filthy, but are sanitized and they have paid for a bottle of hand solution that was not truly needed. Alternatively, according to Daniel J. Denoon, washing your hands frequently is the best way to avoid a viral infection, even the flu (Denoon). The World Health Organization stated in October 2005 that the H5N1 strain has the potential to start an influenza pandemic (“WHO Guidance on Public Health Measures”). The strain is found in most cases of the Bird Flu now, so who is to say that this will not start a pandemic of epic proportions? The basic problem with that statement is that Bird Flu has not developed into a form for human-to-human transmission (Stoppler and Lee). Chances are increased for the merging of animal and human viruses when an outbreak of influenza in animals and annual outbreaks of human influenza rally at the same time (“Pandemic Preparedness”). That being said, the Bird Flu virus is more likely to infect humans during our flu season. Again, the fact is that Bird Flu virus is still a bird virus and it has not shown its ability to transform into a form for human-to-human transference (Denoon). The National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza states that we as citizens should take the necessary precautions in order to cope with a pandemic when and if it occurs (“The National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza”). This strategy was developed in November 2005. My own opinion is that the strategy was developed as a ploy for the current administration to sooth the concerns of citizens that are so worried about a pandemic. Jeffrey C. Worthington on the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza stated, “Based on the poor response of the government to 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, I don’t believe that we can be assured that any response planning is sufficient” (Worthington). Based on all the information provided here, most people would have made their own decision that The Bird Flu will not transform into a form for human-to-human transmission in the near future.

In conclusion, because the Bird Flu virus is still a “bird” virus and because there have been only rare cases of human-to-human transferability, it is doubtful that the Bird Flu virus will develop the ability in the near future to transform into that more dangerous form. There is also ample evidence that a Bird Flu pandemic is not on the near horizon. Because Bird Flu has been present for so many years and has not yet developed a human virus, there is no real reason to expect the virus to magically transform one day into a human genome virus. The Bird Flu as of now is in a state that is controlled by nature, so why should we suddenly agonize over the chance that it will become a pandemic? Of course, one can still believe that the Bird Flu is imminent in the near future, but where would that, leave you? You would be holding a bottle of hand solution and a gas mask and neither may be effective protection. I believe now that the Bird Flu virus will not have an immediate threat to us in near future.

Popularity: 2%

• C-Code Shift Cipher You need these following files to make it work: This...
• Wordpress Installation 2.7 my way Well first things first you have to set up a...
• FATAL ERROR MEMORY ISSUES Wordpress Ok So I needed to install a new version of...
• Copy paste textbox First paste all code here in your front end: <script...

• 800,000 Doses of Vaccine Recalled - Your Government at Work ATLANTA: 800,000 doses of the H1N1 vaccine were recalled today....
• Why You Catch the Flu in the Winter and Other Related Info... Here's another piece of information to store in your head:...
• San Ramon Golf Club San Ramon Golf Club   San Ramon Golf Club is...
• Pandemic status for swine flu imminent World Health Organization's Keiji Fukuda, chief of that organization's influenza...