Here are your bird flu basics
News flash: Avian flu detected in Idaho. Should we worry?
Not much. Avian flu is still very rare. Yes, it's been outside the U.S. (mostly in Asia) until detected in the Pacific Northwest this month in backyard poultry flocks in Tri-Cities, near Seattle, and southern Idaho. The news this week prompted China to ban U.S. poultry imports. That's ironic; China is where pathogenic infections in humans (and a few deaths) occurred since 2003.
Generally the avian flu virus has been restricted overseas. It's also generally restricted to birds, among whom the disease spreads quickly and is often fatal. When people catch it, which is still very rare, they are usually people in direct contact with infected birds - poultry workers and pet owners. Transfer from one ill person to another is possible, but rare and hard to sustain. The illness in humans is often mild and generally nonfatal.
So what's the concern? Its potential.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control the avian flu virus and its potency has evolved among birds, and has the potential to change for the worse and threaten life (especially in weaker bodies such as the ill, very young, and very old), spreading more easily between people who are in prolonged and close contact with one another (or infected birds, who migrate carrying the virus). So while panic is hardly called for, it bears watching worldwide.
If you have flu symptoms and haven't been in contact with infected birds or humans who've had that contact, your flu is most likely the ordinary kind. Still it can be hard to tell. Signs and symptoms of avian flu vary by strain, and range from fever, cough, sore throat, and muscle aches, to lower respiratory disease (like pneumonia) requiring hospitalization. The highly pathogenic strain may result in multi-organ disease, accompanied by nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting and sometimes neurologic changes (altered mental status, seizures). Fatality is rare, but has occurred.
Avian flu diagnoses can only be confirmed by a lab test, usually taken by a swab of the nose or throat. It's important to diagnose it early in the illness; once it has run its course the test may not detect it and the spread of infection will be harder to track. When in doubt, see a doctor.
Except in severe cases, avian flu may be treated with Tamiflu and other prescription antiviral medications. There is currently no vaccine, and the common flu vaccine does not prevent it.
For more information see CDC.gov/flu and Who.int/influenza/en.
Sholeh Patrick is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network. Contact her at Sholeh@cdapress.com.