Bird flu is no longer limited to birds. The H5N1 strain of influenza was first detected in barnyard geese and chickens in the late 1990s. An outbreak in Hong Kong in 1997 made 18 people sick and six of them died. No wonder that this influenza virus is making public health experts nervous.
The International Spread of Bird Flu:
Since then, H5N1 has spread around the world. and caused a lot of economic disruption for poultry farmers who have had to cull their flocks. Millions of chickens and turkeys have been killed to try to slow the spread of the virus. However, wild birds have carried it around the world and the virus has also infected mammals, including mink, polar bears and sea lions.
Like other influenza viruses, H5N1 has mutated over the years. That is what has allowed it to move into mammals. The latest discovery is that dairy cattle in Texas, Michigan, Ohio, South Dakota, New Mexico, Kansas, Idaho, Texas and North Carolina have also been infected. Most worrisome, a farm worker in Texas has come down with the H5N1 virus, presumably from the cattle he was tending.
Scientists don’t yet know if the virus is spreading from cow to cow. It doesn’t appear to have mutated so that it can spread directly from one person to another yet. If it does, that could set off a new flu epidemic. That is really the biggest worry bird flu has triggered for public health authorities. Having just lived through one pandemic in which a novel virus infected a lot of people, no one wants a repeat of that scenario.
Got Milk?
People are concerned about eating meat or drinking milk from infected cattle. Experts believe that pasteurized milk and well-cooked meat should be safe for consumption, even if they came from an infected animal.
What We Said About Bird Flu in 2005:
As we pointed out, people have been concerned about bird flu since just before the turn of the 21st century. Here is a question from a reader with the answer we offered in 2005.
Q. I’m seeking advice regarding “bird” flu. I’d like to try to take precautions now if I can. Is it too late to get Tamiflu?
What about masks? My husband would cringe if he knew I was asking this, but I wonder if it makes sense to purchase a serious mask, in case the flu does develop here in the US.
What other precautions might we take? I’m really bothered by how little our government has done regarding this flu, and I’d like to do what I can to look out for my family and friends.
A. No one knows yet whether the avian flu (H5N1) will mutate into a virus that spreads easily from one human to another. So far, the people who have gotten sick with this potentially lethal virus seem to have caught it from infected birds.
Tamiflu appears to be effective against the H5N1 flu. Some countries are stockpiling this antiviral drug against the possibility of a pandemic. The UK, for example, has enough on hand to treat 25 percent of its population. In the US, stockpiles would cover less than 1 percent.
If your physician prescribes Tamiflu, you will be able to fill the prescription. The manufacturer assures us that there are adequate supplies for the coming flu season. [Remember, this was 1995.] Whether a surgical mask or something even more sophisticated could protect you is unclear.
