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How Does The Bird Flu Spread?
One of the most important things that scientists are working on is learning just how the bird flu moves from one
bird to the next and how and why it goes from the infected bird to the human. Like any other type of virus, it is
hard to tell the specifics about it because it is continuously mutating. But, it can very well be understood by
those that are studying it closely. The good news is that they are learning quite a bit about this possible
pandemic before it becomes anything close to that. Hopefully, that is a good sign.
Birds that have been infected with the bird flu, also known scientifically as the H5N1 strain of influenza A, can
pass it on easily to other birds. It can be passed from their saliva, their nasal discharge or their feces. Not
only do they get this from ingesting these materials directly, but they also get it by ingesting contaminated
materials. One of the worst problems for the human population is that the bird flu is a heavily migratory bird
infestor. That means that birds that migrate are susceptible to the flu. That means that the flu can easily be
spread from a bird that is in China to a bird that is in Europe easily, if it follows their migratory pattern.
The bird flu has spread throughout parts of Africa and Asia. It has been found in several countries including
China, Egypt, Iraq, Turkey, Vietnam, and others. The bird flu seems to be spreading rather quickly throughout these
locations. While most of the transmissions have been from bird to bird resulting in many birds that have been sick
and contaminated, the results also show that the spread to humans in increasing. The bird flu can only be gotten
from an infected bird. The virus can not, as of yet, be spread from one human that is infected to another.
In birds, the mortality rate for the bird flu is that of 100%. In humans, it is about 57%, but this number is
continuously changing as new cases are being seen. Less than 200 people have been infected with the bird flu in the
years of 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006.
Should the bird flu mutate into a deadlier virus that can move from one person to another person, this could
trigger even more cases of the bird flu worldwide. In a worst case scenario, it is estimated that 2% of the world’s
population, or about 150 million people could potentially become infected with and die from the bird flu. As of
yet, this has not happened because of the lack of mutation.
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