Fact Sheet: bird flu

Oct 21, 2005, 3:09 GMT

Washington - As the world braces for a global flu pandemic, here are some facts about the avian virus that has led to mass culls of poultry in Asia, Russia and parts of eastern Europe, infected 120 human beings and killed 63 people.

Q: What is bird flu?

A: The deadly viral strain - called H5N1 - is extremely contagious among birds and is almost always deadly for domesticated fowl. Wild birds carry the virus in their intestines and usually don't get sick. Chickens, ducks and turkeys, however, are highly susceptible and almost always die once infected. The virus has also spread to tigers and domestic cats.

Q: How does bird flu spread?

A: Migrating birds and international live poultry trade are blamed.

Q: When was bird flu first detected?

A: A virulent strain was first detected in Italy in 1878.

Q: When did bird flu jump to humans?

Q: The infamous 1918 virus, the so- called Spanish Flu that killed an estimated 40 million people, was believed to have stemmed from birds. In the current worrisome spread, humans were first infected in 1997, when it killed six people in Hong Kong. It resurfaced in humans in 2003, and has infected 120 humans, 63 of whom have died in Southeast Asia.

Once the virus mutates and learns to regularly transmit from human to human, experts fear a global epidemic.

Q: How can humans be infected?

A: Contact with infected birds and contaminated surfaces.

Q: Is there a vaccine?

A: There's an effort to vaccinate domestic birds across Asia, but there is as of yet no vaccine for humans. Two anti-viral medicines - Tamiflu and Relenza - are reportedly helpful in combatting the lethal effects for humans. Tamiflu producer Roche this week agreed to meet with four generic manufacturers to increase supplies.

The U.S. government has ordered 100 million dollars in flu vaccine, but advance production is difficult since the strain's exact make-up is not yet known. Doctors advise getting routine seasonal flu shots to reduce the number of hosts for H5N1 as it tries to mutate.

Sources: WHO in Geneva; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, U.S.