The Complications and Medications of Bird Flu.
Tamiflu medicine pill by a Swiss company Roche against Influenza A (H1N1) virus causing the 2009 flu pandemic. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The Bird Flu Virus is the latest threat that has been scaring the health officials as of the moment. The last threat that sacred their wits out was the SARS. Compared to Bird Flu Virus, the SARS is just an ordinary running nose. This is because the SARS virus can actually be contained when the infected person is isolated.
Flu virus on the other hand can spread and mutate quickly. Flu viruses also pose certain properties that make them adapt to the natural ways to counter flu and the vaccines given. They can also combine with deadlier flu from other species.
That is why scientist is so worried about the bird flu virus. The effect of the H5N1 strain is catastrophic on birds only. Birds that immediately show symptoms die within a day or two. Then the virus can be captured by the whole flock and then to other flocks and die as well.
Now if that could happen to human beings were the virus could transfer easily from one human to the other. It would be an even greater threat than the Spanish Flu Pandemic. The virus could spread faster and work its way fast killing lots of humans in the span of days. It’s the stuff Hollywood producers think about.
The bad thing about the virus is that to the handful of people who have contacted the disease. The symptoms seem to be like that of an ordinary flu and conjunctivitis. Now how will a person really know if he or she has the bird flu?
The best thing to do is think about one’s lifestyle or the places you have been. Since bird flu transmitted to humans usually comes from the contaminated areas or feathers of the infected birds, saliva or droppings. If you work with domesticated birds and have flu symptoms, it’s to have it checked out immediately.
Eventually the person will also develop the life threatening ailments such as acute respiratory distress syndrome and viral pneumonia. The air sacs in your lungs will eventually be filled up with water rather than air, causing breathing difficulties.
The greatest concern of scientist is what if the virus could eventually be transmitted from human to human in a wide scale. There have been some cases but they are limited. That is what the scientists are also trying to avoid.
The current treatment for the virus is known as Tamiflu. It is a neuraminidase inhibitor. It works by preventing the virus escaping the host cell. The effectiveness of the Tamiflu when tested in Asia seems to be quite well. Relenza, another antiviral drug is also an alternative.
The drugs must be taken two days after the symptoms appear. If the pandemic does break out on a world wide scale, it will be hard to control. Because the medication is still in short supply.
Bottom-line is, we just better pray and hope that this Bird Flu virus simply stick to birds and won’t mutate to infect humans as well.
Lee is a free lancer writer of http://www.askdeb.com/
Category: Health
