2) Did the scientists find a cure to this disease? And if not, what makes it so hard to find a cure?
thank you
Answer
1) Bird flu is primarily a disease of birds and there are many types. The one that is circulating globally now is lethal to chickens, but some wild birds can carry it with no effects. Rarely, this type of bird flu (H5N1) affects humans and the majority of people who get it unfortunately die. We are always concerned that one of the viruses that cause bird flu might change into a form that can spread easily from person to person. That is not the case right now.
2) Bird flu is a type of influenza which is caused by a virus. There are very few anti-viral drugs. They are much more difficult and expensive to develop compared to antibiotics which are used against bacterial diseases.
Name
John
-
Profession
Question
Dear Dr. Paul Gully
Thank you for the opportunity to allow us to discuss this issue with you and please bear with me, as I lay out my thoughts about this issue.
It seems like bird flu is a great money-maker but weak on science. I understand that it might be a flu virus killing these birds, but for it to jump ship and start killing humans, don't you think that might be far fetched?
My understanding is that for a virus to jump species like that a re-assortment in genetic material would have to occur and that is highly unlikely. If there were people dying of any sort of flu it would be possible to isolate the virus free of any contaminants and debris, and the volume of virus would be extremely high wouldn't you think?
Furthermore, viruses make up 1-2% of the human genome and it's easy to get tricked by a small piece of genetic garbage that appears to be viral in nature. Viruses exist inside of all of our cells. And even these pesky retroviruses are endogenous and in fact are passed down matrilineally, from mother to child.
All I have seen so far is markers and hot air.the biotechnical engineers would rake in the bucks in drug and vaccine development, and the politicians would get rich by selling Tamiflu to the gullible public.
Finally, I would be grateful to hear your comments in regards to what I said, and if you have any credible evidence to fault my argument it would be very nice of you to enlighten me about this.
regards
John
Answer
John,
I could spend all afternoon answering your good questions.
The H5N1 virus is highly lethal for poultry and that is a major economic and nutritional concern in itself. Rarely the virus attacks humans but it is not clear why some get the disease and others do not. It may be exposure or individual susceptibility or other unknown factors.
What we do know is that pandemics of influenza have occurred regularly and have produced great socio-economic and disease burdens. We feel that it is important to plan for the next pandemic. H5N1 reminds of this possibility.
WHO is working with its member states to find ways so that all countries can benefit from antivirals for treating persons with influenza and vaccines for prevention to reduce the death rate and other consequences.
Lastly our ability to respond to a pandemic will enable us to respond to other emerging infectious diseases such as SARS.
Name
Ahmad
-
Profession
Question
How can I protect myself and my family from avian flu?
Answer
Ahmed,
A good question.
Avian flu is a disease of poultry primarily so you should avoid contact with any sick animals. If you do want to prepare poultry for eating protect yourself from contamination. Wash your hands afterwards and wear a mask. Do not allow your children to be in close contact with poultry and if you look after poultry wash your hands and wear a mask when you are feeding or otherwise looking after them.
It is always good to stop infecting others if you have respiratory (cold or flu) symptoms. Cough or sneeze into your sleeve or tissue (as long as you throw the tissue away) and wash your hands after going to the toilet and before eating.
This will help reduce your risk of a lot of diseases including flu that might be spread by others.
Lastly, always listen to advice from health authorities about the risk of avian flu or other diseases in your area.
Name
Rasha
- Egypt
Profession
Question
I've read today that scientists are to exhume a Spanish diplomat's corpse in a trial to have more information about the flu that occurred in 1919 which they think is similar to bird flu.
Do you think that this will work?
Answer
Rasha,
In fact scientist have already found pieces of the virus that caused the 1918 pandemic from a body frozen in the Arctic. They then reconstructed a part of the virus and found that it probably came from an avian virus which had mutated enough to be a risk to humans.
This work can only be carried out in the few laboratories in the world that have the highest levels of bio-containment.
This work can lead to an improvement in our knowledge about how pandemics happen but also may help in finding out how people become infected and transmit the disease.
It will be interesting to see if the work you referred to is successful. This has to be well planned so that all appropriate permissions are obtained first.
Name
N
-
Profession
Question
How concerned should we be about bird flu and are there any precautions we can take?
Answer
N,
You will see that I have answered your question partly already.
We have a lot to be concerned about in our daily lives and many things that threaten our health. You can reduce your risk of many things as much as possible by not smoking, exercising and eating well.
Avoid exposing others if you are sick (cough and sneeze into your sleeve and do not go to work) and reduce your contact with sick people. If you care for sick people find out how to protect yourself.
You should be aware of the risks of getting bird flu so that if you find yourself in a risky situation you know what to do. For example. avoid contact with sick animals, prepare poultry following instructions from health authorities, seek assistance if you become ill with respiratory symptoms (cough, high fever, difficulty breathing etc). Also take notice of what health authorities are saying about the risks in your area which may well vary from time to time.
Name
Editor
-
Profession
Question
Dr. Gully can you give us a quick overview on how spread bird flu is right now?
Answer
Bird flu (H5N1)is primarily a poultry disease. When we have been able to get risk information from humans who catch the disease, we find that they have had close contact with poultry often through slaughtering or probably had contact with bird droppings, in which the virus can live for sometime.
One outbreak resulted from being in close contact with swans while they were being unfeathered.
Some people have a very close relationship with their poultry and this may increase if a bird is sick. In other situations children whose job it is to look after chickens at home are at risk.
The risk can be reduced by ensuring that contact with sick birds is reduced by using a mask and washing hands and ensuring proper treatment if they die, either buried deeply or put in a plastic bag with bleach for disposal.
Also, children's contact with live birds should be reduced as much as possible.
Name
aisha
-
Profession
Question
I keep hearing of different strains of bird flu. Are there different viruses but they all have the same effect?
Answer
There are many different types of influenza A viruses, some that cause "seasonal" influenza in humans only and some that just cause diseases in birds.
Occasionally some types can cause disease in both birds and humans e.g., the H5N1 virus which is causing "bird flu" in many countries of the world right now.
Influenza viruses are always changing which is the reason why, to be protected from seasonal flu, you have to get a different flu shot each year. This is not "bird flu".
Also the viruses that affect birds also change.
The problem is that every few years (10-40) a new influenza A virus emerges, either from a change to a bird type or a combination between human and bird types, to produce a virus that is so different that nobody has any immunity.
If the virus transfers easily from one person to another a pandemic of human flu can happen. This is what we are preparing for.
Name
Jackie
- United Kingdom
Profession
Question
I have heard in the news that cats are now carriers. Does that mean I have to get rid of my cat?
What about my friend's dog and hamster? Are they dangerous too?
Answer
Jackie,
The answer is no.
It has been found that influenza viruses can sometimes be transmitted to other mammals. Cats have been found occasionally to be infected with H5N1 and there is an ongoing outbreak of another type of influenza amongst dogs in the US.
Previously, tigers in a zoo in Thailand became infected and died as a result of eating raw contaminated meat.
However what is important is that there is no evidence that these animals can transmit the disease to humans. Usually disease caused by specific types of a virus e.g., H5N1, are best suited to one type of animal and, although they sometimes affect others, they are not important in spreading the disease.
Name
Angel_Eyes
- Turkey
Profession
Question
I have 4 pet birds and a parrot that I keep indoors all the time.
Are they dangerous? Should I really get rid of them like they say on TV?
Answer
You should find out precisely what the local authorities are saying you should do. Their estimate of the risk of pet birds is what is important.
Theoretically if pet birds do not have any contact with wild birds or poultry, and their owner does not work with poultry then the risk to you and poultry in the area should be low. If pet birds do get sick then advice should be sought immediately.
Name
Thelmagard Throcklejello
- Swaziland
Profession
Musician
Question
Are you optimistic or pessimistic about this serious problem facing our Muslim community???
Answer
Communities can respond to the threat of bird flu by reducing the risk of spread to poultry and to humans by the ways mentioned in previous responses. Much can be done by local communities, governments and organizations in terms of informing people and mobilizing behavioral change to reduce risk.
If a pandemic of influenza arrives communities who are well prepared are likely to be better off in terms of social and economic effects and disease burden.
Name
Maha
- Egypt
Profession
Question
Is Mayonnaise really dangerous? I heard that the eggs used in Mayo are pasteurized during manufacture. Doesn't that kill the virus?
Answer
Pasteurization does kill the H5N1 virus. As long as you do not buy mayonnaise that is prepared using raw eggs then there is no risk.
Name
Col. Mohammad Fiqh
- Pakistan
Profession
Military K.P.
Question
Esteemed doctor, is there a proper attire for my troops to wear to minimize exposure to these birds and, if so, what is your recommendations.
Answer
You will find guidelines on the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) website (www.fao.org)
In summary, if anyone is dealing with sick birds or destroying birds then they may be at risk of infection. Protection with gloves, masks (breathing equipment if in an enclosed area), full suits, head protection and boots PLUS appropriate disinfection afterwards is required.
Workers in this situation should be well-trained to reduce any risk of infection.
Please consult the FAO guidance.
Name
Steven Orr
- Canada
Profession
Question
I heard that some tests performed in France proved that Aspirin is very effective in treating bird flu. Is that true? And if so, is it a viable option or does it need ridiculously high doses of Aspiring to cure it (such as the case with gout for example)
Answer
Many different medications have been tried to treat H5N1 infections in humans. The challenge is that there are relatively few patients and to get a meaningful answer there must be well-organized research across many countries.
WHO has a network to do this but it takes time.
I had not heard of using aspirin but one should look at whether the research was done on animals (which may be difficult to apply to humans) or on a few humans which again will be difficult to interpret.
Name
Khaled M
- United Kingdom
Profession
Question
Is it true that Tamiflu is not effective anymore for the new strains of bird flu that are evolving?
Answer
Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) is known to be effective in treating "seasonal" influenza and therefore it is used in treating "bird flu" cases.
In Egypt, a strain of the H5N1 virus was discovered in one patient that has been shown in the laboratory to reduce the effectiveness of Tamiflu. This has only been identified once before.
There is no evidence that this type of reduced susceptibility is widespread but we have to keep testing the viruses that are causing disease in poultry and humans to keep assessing if this is a problem.
Meanwhile Tamiflu is important in treating H5N1 infections in humans.
Name
Felicity A.
- United Kingdom
Profession
Journalist
Question
Two questions for my readers: 1. Is this tied into global warming? And 2. Would the use of Africanized killer bees have any effect upon a possible cure?
Answer
1) There is no evidence that H5N1 infection has arisen in poultry and caused disease in humans as a result of climate change although for other infectious diseases this is certainly a concern.
2) I know of no work that would suggest that killer bees would be useful in treatment of human H5N1 infection.
Name
Harry Balz, M.P.H.
-
Profession
Question
Have you addressed homeopathologisms in your work?
Answer
As I responded to another question it is very difficult to assess the usefulness of any treatment of H5N1 infection in humans due to the relatively small number of cases distributed around the world.
I do not know if homeopathy has been tried. The only way to assess their utility is to be involved in treating patients and to conduct a clinical trial. One would have to have some indication from results of treating other infectious diseases to suggest that this would be worthwhile.
Name
Moo-Shi Pak
- Korea (South)
Profession
KFC Cashier
Question
What relationship does bird flu contain to egg vaccines in vitro fertilization?
Answer
I am not sure of your question but will try an answer.
Human influenza vaccines are presently almost all produced in fertilized hens eggs.
In order to try and reduce the possibility that an influenza virus that causes death in chickens would kill the eggs and not be useful in producing vaccine, newer methods are now being used to avoid this problem.
Name
olza
- Egypt
Profession
Question
thanks for giving us this info about the bird flu,
i heard about a new vaccine for bird flu its trade name is tami-flu ,is this vaccine is really present un the market or it is just rumers
?and if it is really exist why we do not use it in wide range to protect people from this epidemic disease?
Answer
Thanks for the question.
This issue has caused a lot of confusion.
Tamiflu or oseltamivir is an antiviral drug used to treat the disease and sometimes to protect people in contact with sick people or chickens. In this case protection only lasts for as long as you take the drug.
There is a lot of work going on to produce a vaccine to protect against H5N1 infection but there is a long way to go before it would be widely available.
