Caroline Balchunas
Published: November 23, 2005
The Avian Flu, an infectious disease of birds, worries health officials as it continues to infect humans who come in contact with the diseased birds.
The strain of the type A influenza virus causes a wide range of symptoms in birds from mild illness to a rapidly fatal disease resulting in a mortality rate of 100 percent.
The virus, as of now, has not shown any signs of replication of its genetics that would enable the virus to travel from human to human.
When asked about the supposed coming pandemic, Corey Reese, a PJC student said, “I’m not too worried about it until it hits the U.S.”
If the virus does change its genetic composition, then the flu is expected to be the next pandemic that spreads and infects an exorbitant amount of people.
The H5N1 virus is a strain of particular concern because it mutates rapidly and laboratory tests show the virus has a high pathogenicity that causes severe disease in humans.
H5N1 began in December 2003 in the Republic of Korea and has spread to other Asian countries. The variants of this virus have been known to directly infect humans since 1997, and since then, traveled to Vietnam in 2004 killing handfuls of people.
The symptoms include severe fever, sore throat, cough and, in fatal cases, severe respiratory infection.
Ashley Carter, a PJC student, is somewhat concerned about the bird flu and says, “If it comes to the U.S., yeah, I’m worried about it. That means all the chickens will have to be killed.”
The vaccine development is under way, but is hard to develop because the virus regularly mutates each year.
The anti-viral drug is clinically proven to fight against type A strains, but there are limitations of who is allowed to take it, and the vaccine is also very expensive.
Dr. John Lanza, MD, MPH, PhD, FAAP, director of the Escambia County Health Department, explains his concerns about the Avian Flu.
Q: Considering you are in charge of public health, how do you attain all of your information on the Avian Flu?
A: I get my information from the CDC.gov website, the PROMED list-serv, from the Florida Department of Health. I also get it from national and local news media.
Q: Is there a certain pattern this virus is taking?
A: Well, right now it has mainly affected domesticated poultry like chickens, duck, and turkeys, but has also been found in migratory birds. When it repeatedly can be spread from person to person, then we really have a problem.
Q: Are you generally concerned that there will be an outbreak in the U.S or worldwide?
A: Yes, we have not had a pandemic for almost 40 years. So, we are due nationally and worldwide.
Q: Is there any advice you would like to share with the public?
A: For right now, there is no bird flu in the United States. The public needs to keep aware of the evolving situation. They need to watch the news and discuss with their physician their own health plan.
Q: Explain the situation on vaccines and the availability.
A: There is no vaccine currently available for the H5N1 avian flu. It would take months to develop a vaccine.
Q: Is there a certain group of people who are more or less at risk for catching the flu?
A: The very young and very old are usually at risk for most diseases. However, the 1918 flu pandemic primarily killed those 20-40 years of age.
Q: What are your views on how the government is handling this situation?
A: They are at the ground stages of implementing the plan, which appears generally good without adequate medications or a vaccine.
Q: When is the right time to become seriously worried about an outbreak close to home?
A: After the first human case in your state or region.
Q: If the virus spreads to Pensacola, how do you plan on keeping the public informed and on their toes about proper treatments or precautions?
A: We will continue the regular updates via the news media as we usually do. I send out updates to the hospitals and physicians weekly.
Tips to help reduce chances of infection:
– Wash hands thoroughly many times a day with hot water and soap.
– Don’t come in contact with any poultry that could be infected
– Stay fit and eat healthy foods loaded with vitamins