WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HUMAN
FLU AND BIRD FLU?
Two types of flu virus are common in nature ? type A and
type B. Type A produces illness in both humans and birds,
whereas type B affects humans only. The seasonal flu we
suffer from every winter is produced by a mixture of both types, 
A and B. Virus type A classifies further into a number
of sub-categories according to the H and N receptors found
on its sheath (science has to date identified 16 type H
receptors and 9 type N receptors) but only a few of these sub-categories produce illness in people. Human influenza
originated, apparently, in flu viruses active in birds, which over
time altered sufficiently to enablethem to be transmitted
effectively from



WHAT VIRUS IS INVOLVED IN THE BIRD FLU OUTBREAKS DOCUMENTED SINCE 2003? WHAT AREAS OF THE WORLD HAVE THESE OUTBREAKS REACHED SO FAR?
The bird flu outbreaks which were first recorded in December , 2003, and are still (October, 2006) ongoing, were caused by the type A virus, sub-category H5N1. The first outbreaks were recorded on poultry farms in Korea and to date have been recorded in a total of 59 states, including Israel (for further detail see the Links below for the address of the World Health Organization website). From South-East Asia the virus spread to North Asia and from there to Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Africa and the Middle East. In Israel the disease was recorded in March, 2006, on nine poultry farms. To date (October, 2006), no further outbreaks have been recorded in Israel. 



HOW DOES THE H5N1 BIRD FLU VIRUS
SPREAD FROM AREA TO AREA?
There are two theories on this question. The first links the spread of the virus to the migration of birds around the world, especially water birds carrying the virus. The second theory ties the spread of the virus to the trade in infected poultry and its illegal trafficking across frontiers. Probably both mechanisms contribute, the first over long distances and the second over shorter ones.



HOW DO BIRDS AND PEOPLE CONTRACT BIRD FLU?
Infected birds spread the bird flu virus through their saliva, nose and mouth secretions, and their droppings. Other birds are infected by contact with infected secretions and excretions or by contact with infected ground. Humans are infected in similar fashion: by direct contact with infected birds, their secretions, excretions and blood, or with contaminated objects. It is generally thought that the main infection-transmitting exposure occurs during slaughter, and the cleaning and preparing of slaughtered birds for cooking. Some persons may even have eaten infected raw meat.



DO HUMANS CATCH BIRD FLU EASILY?
No. As of 18th October, 2006, only 256 persons around the world have been identified as infected with the H5N1 strain of bird flu, of whom 151 have died from the disease. In the majority of these cases the person has been in close contact with infected birds or their secretions. This incidence is very low given the scale and spread of the outbreaks in wild birds and poultry across South-East Asia and the tens of thousands of people daily exposed to these birds and their secretions. The great fear is that the structure of the H5N1 strain of bird flu will be altered, either by an exchange of genes with the human flu virus or by mutation, so facilitating the transmission of the virus between humans



WHAT ARE THE CURRENT CHANCES OF CONTRACTING THE H5N1 STRAIN OF BIRD FLU?
Very low. 
No further outbreaks of H5N1 bird flu have been recorded in Israeli poultry beyond those recorded in March, 2006. Since those outbreaks and in consequence of the measures taken at that time by the Ministries of Agriculture and Health not a single case of bird flu has been identified among the workers and residents of the infected poultry farms. The Ministry of Health maintains its monitoring of the incidence of bird flu around the world, both in birds and humans. The Ministry of Agriculture closely monitors every incident of exceptional morbidity or mortality in commercial poultry.


WHAT ARE THE SIGNS OF H5N1 BIRD FLU IN HUMANS?
At first the symptoms of bird flu in humans are the same as those of regular seasonal flu―fever, coughing, sore throat, runny nose, muscle pain― or often the illness will begin with diarrhea. From there, H5N1 bird flu progresses rapidly into severe pneumonia and respiratory difficulties and other grave complications


HOW IS H5N1 BIRD FLU IN HUMANS DIAGNOSED?
The diagnosis relies on documented possible exposure to the virus, on clinical signs and on laboratory tests. Possible exposure to the virus: that is, a sick person who within the seven days before symptoms appeared was in direct contact (i.e. at a distance of less than one meter) with live or dead birds in a country or region where H5N1 bird flu in animals has been reported.


?תופועה תעפש םע תודדומתהל הכורע לארשי םאה
  Both relevant ministries, the ministries of Agriculture and Health, are ready for such an eventuality. They have drawn up the necessary procedures and key interfaces have been identified for collaboration between them.

  A sufficient stock of medications is available for treating sick persons and their contacts

  A sufficient stock of protective clothing and other precautionary devices is available for hospital and HMO medical teams.

  A sufficient stock of respiratory and monitoring devices is available in the hospitals.



WHAT WAYS OF TREATING BIRD FLU ARE AVAILABLE?
Treatment can be given before and after exposure, before and after the first symptoms have appeared. At the time of writing no vaccination is available against the H5N1 bird flu virus and so current treatment concentrates on administering the anti-viral medication, Oseltamivir, marketed under the brand name Tamiflu.
Tamiflu cannot be used to prevent the disease. It reduces the disease’s severity and duration when taken within 48 hours of symptoms appearing.
As of today, the treatment of bird flu in humans is based on: administering Tamiflu, monitoring for complications, and palliative care.


IS A VACCINE AVAILABLE AGAINST BIRD FLU IN HUMANS?
At the time of writing no vaccination is available against bird flu in humans. Following the severe cases of H5N1 bird flu in humans, work began in 2004 in the USA to develop a vaccine against H5N1 bird flu and in 2005 testing of the vaccine on healthy volunteers began.


CAN VACCINATION AGAINST REGULAR SEASONAL FLU HELP PROTECT AGAINST BIRD FLU?
Each year, vaccination against seasonal flu gives protection against two strains of the type A flu virus and one strain of the type B flu virus, the strains expected to be responsible for most cases of flu that year. Although the vaccination gives no direct protection against bird flu, it will reduce the risk of jointly contracting bird flu and one of the three targeted strains of seasonal flu.


RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TOURISTS
The World Health Organization and the Israel Ministry of Health have published a list of recommended steps for tourists traveling to countries where an outbreak of bird flu has occurred:

  Avoid visiting markets or farms where poultry is reared, sold or slaughtered.      

  Avoid direct contact with poultry, live, dying or dead.  

  Avoid places contaminated with bird secretions, excretions, droppings or feathers.        
       
  Heat above 700C kills the flu virus. Ensure that all poultry and poultry products consumed (such as eggs) have been thoroughly cooked.        

  Avoid consuming poultry blood, including in the form
 of semi-cooked poultry meat.   

Wash your hands frequently in soap and water or disinfect them with alcohol in order to reduce the amount of contaminants on your hands.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with dirty hands.