Avian Flu

The Avian Flu has been monitired by scentist for years. But more recently the "Bird Flu" has been receiving

national attention throughout the media. The Bird Flu is a type of influenza that is commonly found in the intetions of wild birds. There are different types of the Avian Virus, but the one that has sparked the most amount of attention is the Influenza A (H5N1) virus. Cases of H5N1 in birds have been confirmed in Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Pakistan, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam. The H5N1 virus has been known to transmit from birds to humans. The H5N1 virus is also the strand of the Avian influenza that has the nation afraid of a pandemic. The first known outbreak of the Avian Virus spreading to humans was in Hong Kong in 1997. During this outbreak, 18 people were hospitalized and 6 of them died. To contain the virus authorities killed about 1.5 million chickens. The virus seemed to be transmitted through bird to person contact, not person-to-person. But the thought of the possibility of person-to-person infection, was still a probability.

There has been no known cases of Avian Influenza in the United States. The most recent and common areas that have been infected with the Avian flu is in Asia and Europe. Since 2004 there has been 131 cases of humans being infected with H5N1 and 68 deaths (BBC News).

The current risk of the Avian flu in the United States is low. But with the useful ability to be able to travel across

the world so easily, it is a possibility of the Avian Flu making its way to the US. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has taken procautions to try to prevent the Avian flu from spreading into the US, but not all areas of the borders can be watched at all times. The USDA has be monitoring the flow of exoctic birds into the US, as wellas putting out alerts to fully cook you're chicken and do not eat raw eggs.

Labratories here in California are testing the local chicken farms for signs of the Avian Virus, but out of the thousands and thousands of birds tested, none have tested positive for the Avian Virus. Thousands of chicken samples are tested at labs in San Bernardino, Fresno and Turlock everyday.

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