Bird flu - its symptoms, reasons, precautions, prevention and treatment.

 

Introduction:

The recent outbreak of bird flu in the USA in April 2024, its threat in the form of global expansion, and fear of the pandemic compelled all of us to know about it and take the appropriate measures to stop its spread. Here we will try to understand: what is bird flu? Its variants, symptoms, future threats, preventive measures, remedies, etc. So, let's start here:

What is Bird Flu?

Bird means Avian and Flu means Influenza, So Bird Flu or Avian Influenza are the same.

Viruses of Bird Flu are naturally found in aquatic birds and mammals.
Bird flu viruses from aquatic birds/mammals,  reached wild birds/animals by the various ways of contact. Later on, it reached domesticated birds in similar ways.
Most viruses do not harm them.
There are 3  types (A, B, and C) of  Bird flu viruses.
Only type A is responsible for spreading it to humans.
All subtypes of A virus are not capable of spreading to humans.
All strains (traces) of a sub-type of the virus are not capable of spreading to humans.
Only specified strains of specific subtypes of A-type virus are capable of spreading into humans.
It is a contagious disease spread through viruses in domestic and wild birds.
The low-risk strain of the H5N1 virus is mostly found in all wild birds. When it reaches domestic (domesticated) birds, it becomes a deadly threat to humans because people remain in contact with domestic birds (live or dead), their droppings, secretion, feces, cages, etc. The long period of stay with birds enhances the probability of transmission of bird flu from birds to humans and humans to humans.
It is an endemic illness ( infectious disease) that affects wild domestic and aquatic birds.
Bird flu virus shows no or little symptoms in birds till the large population is affected and dies within 48 hours.
Human-to-human transfer of bird flu virus is rare.
It remains limited to a particular species, area, or population.
Until 1990, it was not affecting so much, and in the late 1990’s it caused severe infections and death to domestic birds like chickens, turkeys, ducks, etc later on,  a new strain of virus infected the people also.
The H5N1 virus infected the people rarely but it was fatal and the death rate was more than 50%.
The outbreak of infection from the H5N8 virus was found in Wild birds, and people working near them were found infected and reported asymptomatic and nontransferable from human to human. It does not impose serious risk to life. 
European countries also observed various outbreaks of bird flu. The H5N1, N5N8, and H5N8 variants of avian viruses were mostly detected.
The H7N9 virus was reported in China and it infected the people also. The Death rate was more than 20%. Though it was not easily transferable from human to human, scientists have the opinion that its modified variants may be transferable (contagious) from human to human.
It is not considered an airborne disease.
H5N1 Infection transmission in other domestic pets like cats, dogs, pigs, etc. is also found.
It spreads faster during cold days because viruses remain alive for a longer period.

Ducks are an easy target of Bird flu.

Based on the impact of disease, bird flu may be divided into the following two categories:

LPAI ( Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza) -  no symptoms or little symptoms ( like rough feathers and less egg production) and little effect, not deadly. However, it may infect eggs. But by mutation, LPAI may be changed into HPAI.
HPAI (High Pathogenic Avian Influenza) -  various symptoms and fatal impact. Infected birds may die within 48 hrs. The death rate of birds is more than 90%.
However, Bird flu viruses, based on the protein on the surface of the virus may be classified as illustrated below:

What is the difference between Pandemic, Epidemic, and Endemic?

Endemic -

Outbreak a disease that is consistently present in a particular area or region. The rate of spread is predictable.  Example - Malaria

Epidemic-

An unexpected increase in the spread of a disease in humans in a wider area or in a country or some countries.  It may turn into a Pandemic. 

Various bird flu epidemics have occurred in the past and millions of poultry were killed.
In the USA  only wild birds were infected, no humans were infected, but in other parts of the world, humans were also infected. 
It should be kept in mind that mutation in viruses is a continuous process and it may lead to an outbreak of pandemic in humans.

Pandemic -

When the spread of disease is multifold or exponential, Number of patients is greater than the past day. It will easily spread globally among humans.  It is spread for the first time by a new type of virus.  Example -  an influenza virus: H1N1 (Swine Flu) in 2009. and  Novel Coronavirus  (COVID-19) in the year 2020.

Note - Pandemic is the most dangerous and endemic is the least dangerous.
Normally, one type of virus will infect the same species but sometimes it happens that the virus is mutated in such a way that it may be able to infect other species. Bird flu will infect birds and swine flu will infect swine,  but due to mutation in viruses, it has been seen that bird flu and swine flu may infect humans also. Such a type of mutation is found in swine flu virus (H1N1) and it turned into a pandemic by infecting a large number of humans.
Highly pathogenic bird flu viruses ( H5N1 and H7N9) are capable of spreading the pandemic among humans.

Note:

At low temperatures, viruses remain alive for a longer period and may carry forward easily. 

Migratory birds are easy carriers of bird flu and capable of spreading the disease at the intercontinental level.
Till now it is observed that the spread of bird flu from human to human is rare but nobody knows about the future capability of bird flu viruses.
The most dangerous influenza in the past is known as Spanish Flu. It was a human influenza virus but it is considered that it originated from birds.

Symptoms of bird flu:

The people, children, mammals, etc. who are in contact with infected (live or dead) birds, their secretion, droppings, feces, saliva, etc., are prone to get the bird flu. The following or similar are the symptoms of bird flu:

Fever, Cough, Sneezing, fatigue, Shortness of breath, body pain, stuffy/running nose,  itchy throat, nausea, vomiting, eye infection, diarrhea, respiratory problems, bleeding from nose and gums,  confusion, abnormal mind activities,  etc. 

These symptoms may be aggressive and lead to Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), or other lethal form of problems.

The incubation period ( the period from infection to the visible symptoms) may be 02 days to 02 weeks for H5N1 and H7N9.

Production of Milk from infected cows may be dropped and infected milk may be viscous and yellow in color, sometimes these signs may not occur.

Bird flu is very contagious (infectious) in wild or domestic birds and it is rare to humans but if people are living with domestic birds regularly, chances to get infections are much higher.

Bird flu sign in birds:

Swollen head closed, watered/abnormal eyes, unexpected death, etc.

It will only be confirmed by the doctor with the help of swab testing etc. 
Pigs may be good carriers of this virus.

When should we visit a doctor?

 

We should visit the doctor if someone is feeling any one of the above symptoms. Because taking medications may reduce periods of sickness and symptoms, moreover it will make rare chances to worsen the condition. It will be worth mentioning here that we are supposed to tell the doctor regarding your contact with infected birds or infected areas to get the proper medications. Please don't hide, or ignore the symptoms, tell the full story of expected reasons.

Home remedies: 

Influenza is related to respiratory problems. In the case of simple viral flu, Home remedies may help but in the case of Bird Flu, please don't depend on home remedies. In addition to home remedies, we should consult the doctor as soon as possible. The following Home remedies may be adopted with the guidelines of the doctors because these may vary from human to human depending on individual body conditions.

Drink plenty of fluids. Only water is not sufficient because it has little or no electrolyte contents. You may take juice, ORS, soup, etc.

Take a rest.
Steam inhalation or similar process.
Avoid touching outer things, because they may contain viruses.
Always wash our hands with hand wash, soap, or sanitizer when we touch something like that.
Use disposable napkins for sneezing and coughing and dispose of them safely.
Sanitize your hands and face after sneezing or coughing.
Avoid visiting public places or infected areas.
Maintain social distancing.
Disinfect the things around you.
Adopt similar safety measures as deemed fit.
Wear a face mask, hand gloves, goggles, etc., when near an infected area.
Remove your shoes, outside the house or sanitize them.
Isolate yourself from other people, if you have been infected or doubt of having the infection.
Since it is considered a notifiable disease, therefore follow the government guidelines for informing the concerned offices.

Note:-  Bird flu may be fatal, so don't depend on home remedies. Consult your doctor as soon as possible.

The preventive measures for bird flu:

Take all precautionary measures while handling the poultry and its products.

Viruses remain alive in raw meat but proper cooking kills the virus. 
By killing the infected birds and healthy birds near them, we should not forget here that killing the birds (infected and healthy) on a large scale, badly impacts the livelihood of the poultry farmers, poultry/egg industries, import/export, economies, etc. Therefore it is termed as a cruel way to stop the bird flu.
Ban on travelers from affected areas/countries.
Sanitizing the infected area.
Avoid consuming items made from birds or their eggs.
Don't touch, kiss, or eat the infected (dead or alive) birds/animals.
Follow the government guidelines for the prevention of the bird flu.
Steps to prevent the spread of bird flu pandemic:
 Pre-epidemic action:  steps to reduce human infection, timely information, and warning and precautionary measures to stop the spread.
Post Epidemic action:  strict measures to contain or reduce the spread of the Epidemic. When an epidemic becomes a pandemic, it means if it is spread globally, a ban on social human movement, transportation of species, breeding of species, etc. Large-scale culling of infected birds ( keeping in mind the cruelty, economic loss, etc.), intensive use of vaccination, testing, medication, rehabilitation, intensive research, sharing of information, etc. 
Eat only boiled and properly cooked meats/eggs/animal milk. Consume it within 1-2 hours when it is at room temperature.
Avoid food that contains raw eggs etc.
Don't panic but be alert, take precautions, and follow the government guidelines.

Quality of life after Bird flu infection:

It remains poor because the death rate in case of H7N9 virus infection maybe 60% or higher and we can not predict the prognosis ( quality of life after bird flu infection) in case of further mutation of the virus or new strains of the virus, it may be more fatal.

Fortunately, since the outbreak of bird flu infection in humans, till now, not much threat to life has been observed.

Research on Bird flu treatment and prevention:

Research is going on to meet the challenges. Sharing of related information and better coordination at the international level with WHO and other institutions are needed.

Summary:

It is fatal in birds, but rarely fatal in humans.

Bird flu is rarely contagious for transmission from humans to humans in the present scenario but it may not be true in the future due to mutation of viruses. Continuous mutation of viruses changes their properties and new strains and new subtypes of viruses are evolving. At this stage, we can't say which strains of future viruses may be harmful to birds/humans.
A few strains of the H5N1 virus are found to be a potential pandemic threat to the whole world. The death rate in humans may be 60%.
 Vaccines for poultry have been developed and stockpiled.
The vaccines are developed for the H5N1 virus and are in the process of developing for the H7N9 virus. However, these are not tested on humans and are not available commercially. Moreover, it is not clear whether they will be effective in new traces of viruses that will emerge after future mutation.
We should adopt preventive measures to avoid becoming a victim of bird flu.
Keep alert to observe the symptoms of bird flu.
In case of any doubt, contact the doctor or available facilities.
Follow the advice of doctors and government guidelines.
If you are infected,  don't panic, adopt the required precautions, medications, and remedies for the safety of yourself and others.
Please remain updated regarding the flu and its treatment.
Fight against disease, don't get afraid, All will go well, Keep morale high.

Disclaimer:

The best efforts are made to provide good information on the subject after studying the following and similar websites:

https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu

https://www.my.clevelandclinic.org

http://www.nhs

https://www.cdc.govcdc.gov

However, the author does not take any guarantee/responsibility for its correctness or completeness. Before adopting the norms or for any clarification or doubt, please cross-check from authentic sources and follow the government guidelines.

==All the best==