Bird flu or avian flu is an influenza virus type that normally infects birds. However, it can also infect other animals including pigs. Wild birds are natural hosts to the virus and normally don't get sick from it. But domestic animals such as chickens and turkeys could be severely affected. Humans, on the other hand, can be infected with influenza types A, B, and C. Genetic changes and sharing can occur under certain circumstances. This could happen in crowded conditions where poultry, pigs, and people live in close quarters. This change could allow a virus to turn into more infectious to humans. This could also mean that the virus can more easily transmitted from person to person. This is precisely when a pandemic could break out.

The term avian flu pandemic has been used widely, but in actuality the avian flu virus and an influenza pandemic are not the same things.An avian flu virus primarily affects birds. Occasionally an avian flu virus may infect humans or pigs. But, in most cases humans are not infected by the avian flu. Pandemic literally means worldwide epidemic. The fear over an avian flu pandemic arises from the concern that the H5N1 avian flu virus currently spreading throughout the continents of Asia, Africa and Europe has the potential to adapt into a strain that is highly contagious among humans. That is to say it could be spread by coughing and sneezing from human to human in the same way that seasonal flu viruses spread.

Scientists expect that the H5N1 avian flu virus will eventually spread among birds worldwide, because migratory birds from Asia do interact with migratory birds from the Americas. But unless the strain mutates, creating a new virus, unlike one that has previously existed in humans, there is little concern about an avian flu pandemic affecting large numbers of humans. The total number of confirmed cases of H5N1 avian flu virus infecting humans is 239. While over half of these people have died from complications arising from the avian flu, pandemic flu viruses are much worse, typically infecting millions and killing millions.

Countries that are the most vulnerable to this flu are Indonesia, Vietnam, and Cambodia, due to their high concentration of bird markets. Other areas include Thailand, China (south and north), Tibet, Kazakhstan, Russia and

Mongolia.

Symptoms:

Symptoms of bird flu in humans have ranged from typical flu-like symptoms (fever, cough, sore throat, muscle aches) to eye infections and pneumonia. If you feel you've been exposed, there are a couple of treatment recommendations available today that you may want to discuss with your doctor. Until these are tested in a pandemic, however, their true efficacy is unknown. There are currently no vaccines available, but many companies are working on them.

Genetic changes and sharing can occur under certain circumstances. This could happen in crowded conditions where poultry, pigs, and people live in close quarters. This change could allow a virus to turn into more infectious to humans. The virus can more easily transmitted from person to person.