Avian Influenza "Flu"

What is Avian Flu (Bird Flu)?            

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Avian flu is an infection caused by avian (bird) influenza (flu) viruses. These flu viruses occur naturally among birds. Avian influenza (AI) viruses can infect chickens, turkeys, pheasants, quail, ducks, gees and guinea fowl including migratory waterfowl. There are two main kinds of avian flu viurses, "high pathogenic (HPAI) and "low pathogenic" (LPAI). High Pathogenic avian influenza means that the virus causes severe disease and death in poultry such as chickens and turkeys. Usually, high pathogenic avian flu causes only minor illness in wild waterfowl.

Why is Avian Influenza a Concern Among Health Officials?

The strain currently circulating (H5N1) was first identified in Hong Kong in 1997, and most commonly infects and spreads among birds. The H5N1 avian strain has proven to be deadly to infected poultry and has also shown the ability to cause rare infection in humans. Whenever an avian flu virus infects people, there is a chance that the virus could mutate, or change, to a new virus that spreads easily from person to person. 

Thus far, human infection has been limited to those who have extremely close contact with infected poultry in settings that allow for concentrated (generally indoor) exposure to live birds, their waste, or uncooked poultry products.  However, public health experts are concerned that the H5N1 avian flu virus could mutate and eventually spread easily from person to person, causing a worldwide pandemic.

Pandemic Influenza and Current Concerns >>
Avian Influenza Fact Sheet (CDPHE) >>

Are Humans at Risk?

Currently there is no high pathogenic H5N1 in the U.S. The risk from avian flu is generally low to most people, because the viruses occur mainly among birds and do not usually infect humans. During outbreaks of avian flu among poultry (domesticated chicken, ducks, turkeys), there is a possible risk to people who have contact with infected birds or surfaces that have been contaminated with excretions from infected birds.  

Prevention
Health officials agree that proper cooking of poultry products, thorough hand-washing, and limiting close contact with live birds--especially in closed environments--could have prevented most or all human illness resulting from infected birds in Asia. An experimental vaccine against the current H5N1 avian strain is undergoing testing and there is hope that the antiviral drug Tamiflu could be helpful in treating people if the virus spread to countries in Europe and the western hemisphere, including the U.S.

What is the Difference Between Avian Influenza and Human Seasonal Flu?

People usually do not become infected with avian flu viruses and there is no effective vaccine to prevent avian flu. In contrast, seasonal flu accounts for 100,000 hospitalizations and approximately 36,000 deaths per year in the U.S. Annual flu vaccines are highly effective in reducing illness and death from seasonal human influenza. 

For more information on annual human influenza, H5N1 avian influenza or pandemic flu:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention                 
• US Government Official Pandemic Influenza site
• World Health Organization Avian Influenza

Protecting birds and other animals:

• The Colorado Avian Influenza Surveillance and Education Task Force (Colorado Bird Health)
• U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS):

For more information please contact, Dr. Jim Dale, Director of Environmental Health Services at 303-271-5755. 
 

Last Modified: Mar 28, 2009 10:19 PM