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The World Health Organization (WHO) recently sounded a global health alarm in response to a new threat that has been emerging in several regions, particularly Asia. This threat is the avian influenza, more commonly known as bird flu, which is an infectious diseases that affects only birds...until recently.

Online Stock Market Trading What exactly is bird flu?

Influenza Treatments Influenza normally afflicts people in autumn and winter, which means the time of influenza affliction is just around the corner. Of late, the threat of the flu has doubled with the feared spread of avian bird flu. Both influenza and avian bird flu can be treated through various medications, all of which are prescription medicines.

Stock Investing Course Bird flu is an infectious disease caused by several subtypes of the Influenza A virus, which is known to affect birds, particularly migratory birds, ducks and chickens. Bird flu is also reportedly known to affect pigs and ducks although these animals only serve as carriers and are not known to exhibit symptoms of the disease. Migratory birds, in general, are equipped to handle the virus. They do not get sick but they have the ability to contaminate other birds in areas they migrate to. This is crucial factor in the spread of disease because migratory birds travel great distances, often from one country to another.

This is the first case of a flock of German farm poultry contracting bird flu, the wire service reports, although several cases of the virus were found in wild birds in Germany this year. Health officials remain alert to the possibility that the avian flu virus could mutate and cause it to be transmitted from human to human. Although the World Health Organization puts the number of human deaths from avian flu at 190, none of them is ascribed to contagion between humans, the AP reports.

Stock Market Game When did bird flu start?

Influenza (also commonly known as the flu) is a highly contagious respiratory disease. Caused by the influenza virus, it can generally hit anyone at any time. However autumn and winter are the most active seasons for the flu virus. These are also the season when migratory birds bring with them an increased threat of avian bird flu. remember, it's free and without any obligation.

Stock Investing Game Bird flu is not a new disease. First discovered in Italy in 1878, it was initially called "fowl plague" because it largely affected chicken livestock. However, it was only in 1955 that the Influenza A virus is the cause of bird flu. Since then, several subtypes of the Influenza A virus has been discovered in about a hundred bird species.

That cluster of deaths caused fears that the virus was mutating into a form that could be easily transmitted from human to human. However, experts later concluded that was not the case. In this latest outbreak, seven people from the village in the Karo district in Northern Sumatra province have been hospitalized with suspected bird flu, BBC News reported. Officials are waiting for test results to confirm that it is bird flu.

Journal Prime Rate Street Wall According to research, wild waterfowls, particularly ducks, are the most common carriers of the disease. The ducks, however, do not get sick from it. It was discovered that gulls, waterfowls and shorebirds are natural "reservoirs" of the bird flu virus. These animals appear to have developed antibodies to fight against the virus. Other bird species, however, have not developed this immunity to the virus.

"Businesses should evaluate all real and perceived risks to their organisation, " said Richard Smith, employment services director at Croner. "While it may be more front of mind to prepare for other threats, such as terrorism, a pandemic could cause even greater disruption, " he warned. HSBC has announced it is creating contingency plans based on the worst case scenario of having half its global workers absent if a bird flu pandemic occurs.

Stock Market News Symptoms of bird flu

Stock Investing Basics Birds with mild forms of avian influenza can exhibit ruffled feathers and poor egg production. Birds with advanced or extreme forms of the disease may show signs of excessive shedding, respiratory infections and a swollen head. When the disease worsens, death usually comes within 48 hours. This is because bird flu not only affects the respiratory systems of birds but also other tissues and organs, causing major hemorrhaging.

Stock Investing Software History of bird flu outbreaks

Stock Market Trading In the 1980s, bird flu outbreaks in chickens and birds occurred in Scotland, England, Canada, Germany, United States, Australia and Ireland. Again in the 1990s the same countries, with the exception of Germany and Scotland, had outbreaks. This time, Italy, Pakistan, Hong Kong, the Netherlands and Chile joined them. However, these outbreaks were small-scale; and highly pathogenic outbreaks are rare.

Stock Investing For Dummy Then in 1997, a major outbreak of bird flu occurred in Hong Kong, which left 18 people infected and six people killed. In response to the outbreak, the Hong Kong government killed Hong Kong's entire poultry population, which was estimated at 1.5 million. Many believe that this rapid response to the bird flu outbreak was the best solution and helped avert it from becoming a pandemic.

Stock Market Crash To determine if a bird flu virus is highly pathogenic, eight chickens between four and eight weeks old are inoculated with the infectious virus. If 75 percent of the samples (six chickens) die within eight days, the virus is considered to be very pathogenic. In addition, a highly pathogenic virus will show a distinctive sequence of amino acids located at the cleavage site, the HA part of the chain.

Stock Investing Tip Niall Cinneide publishes an avian influenza news website, and an informational site with reports and articles about bird flu at http://www.bird-flu-alert.info

Stock Market Chart This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and the live links are included intact. All rights reserved. Copyright Bird-Flu-Alert.info

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