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How to Prevent Avian Flu and Who Can Contract It

From Parker Do, New Roots Institute
February 2024

Avian influenza, commonly known as avian flu or bird flu, is a viral infection that primarily affects birds, including wild birds and farmed birds such as chickens, ducks, and turkeys. Some variants of the avian flu virus can also infect humans and other animals, such as the H5N1 variant that has infected over a thousand humans worldwide.


Spraying to ‘control’ avian flu

When humans interact with animals, whether it be in nature, a farm, a market, or their own homes, there is the risk of the spread of zoonotic disease. Illnesses including HIV/AIDS, the bubonic plague, rabies, and COVID-19 are all derived from non-human animals and have caused massive sickness and death in humans.

Among these diseases is avian flu, a variation of the influenza virus that has spread from birds like chickens to humans and other animals. While there has been international attention called to biosecurity measures and surveillance to prevent the spread of avian flu, with tens of billions of birds being farmed for food each year, this is a tall order.

The majority of these birds are farmed indoors in high-density facilities with little medical care, leading to the rapid spread and evolution of the virus, so addressing these conditions is an essential tool in preventing the spread of avian flu, and possibly the next major pandemic.

What is Avian Flu?

Avian influenza, commonly known as avian flu or bird flu, is a viral infection that primarily affects birds, including wild birds and farmed birds such as chickens, ducks, and turkeys. Some variants of the avian flu virus can also infect humans and other animals, such as the H5N1 variant that has infected over a thousand humans worldwide.

The virus was first isolated in 1902 from Italian turkeys and since then, several variants have been identified. The most notable outbreak occurred in 1997 when the H5N1 virus crossed the species barrier and infected humans in Hong Kong. An estimated 131 million birds died from avian flu in 2022 alone, and 458 humans have died from the disease in the last decade. Due to these outbreaks, organizations such as the World Health Organization and the World Organisation for Animal Health have implemented surveillance and preparedness measures to monitor and respond to avian influenza outbreaks.

What Causes Avian Flu?

The most common cause of avian flu is exposure to bodily fluids from an infected bird. This includes their waste, saliva, or other excretions. The virus can survive on surfaces for hours or even days under correct conditions, so infection can also spread through food, clothing, and other equipment. These modes of transmission are exacerbated due to the high volume of birds transported for food, as their fluids can contaminate cages and shipping facilities.

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Please read the ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE, including:

  • What is Avian Flu?
  • What Causes Avian Flu?
  • How to Prevent Avian Flu
  • Who Can Get Avian Flu?
  • Could Avian Flu Be the Next Major Pandemic
Posted on All-Creatures.org: June 14, 2024
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