Bird Flu Information

The Bird Flu, Avian Flu and more specifically the H5N1 virus strain is of concern to health authorities, because of its potential to mutate into a form which allows it to spread between humans. The strain we know today can travel from a diseased animal to a human, but not between humans. Because of the possible mutation into a humanly transmitted disease and the consequent Bird Flu pandemic - a worldwide epidemic - due to a lack of efficient Bird Flu vaccines like Tamiflu (oseltamivir) or Relenza (zanamivir), the spread of the Bird Flu virus is being sought controlled by The European Union, national agencies and health organisations around the European Union, such as the European Office of the World Health Organisation, WHO.

Recent Birdflu News

Reuters - Deadly H5N1 bird flu kills three swans in England - January 10 2008

Current WHO phase of pandemic alert

Current alert level:  1 | 2 |  3  | 4 | 5 | 6 

The World Health Organization has a list of alert levels for a Worldwide birdflu pandamic in the WHO global influenza preparedness plan, with 1 being the lowest level and 6 the highest level - a pandemic in full outbreak. The current level is 3 - No or very limited human-to-human transmission.

Level	Description	Pandemic stages
1	Low risk of human cases	Inter-pandemic phase No new virus in animals, no human cases
2	Higher risk of human cases
3	No or very limited human-to-human transmission	Pandemic alert New virus causes human cases
4	Evidence of increased human-to-human transmission
5	Evidence of significant human-to-human transmission
6	Efficient and sustained human-to-human transmission	Pandemic

Bird Flu Symptoms

Bird Flu or Avian Flu is a variant of influenza, a flu virus, and the symptoms are the same:

• Fever - often high
• A headache
• Aching muscles and/or back
• Sore throat
• A runny or stuffy nose
• Dry coughing
• Stomach problems - nausea, vomiting or diarrhea, more often with children

The incubation time - the time from you get infected till you get ill - is between 3-5 days, 7 days at the most extreme. If you display these symptoms after having been in contact with sick wild waterbirds, and suspect Bird Flu, then contact your doctor as soon as possible. Note that wild waterfowl can be carriers of the bird flu, without getting ill themselves.

Bird Flu Information Sources

European Union on Bird Flu

European Influenza Surveillance Scheme (EISS)

WHO Bird Flu Info

Eurosurveillance

Wall Street Journal Avian Flu News Tracker

Birdflu Links

Birdflu Links