Causes, Symptoms And Treatments Of Bird Flu

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Bird flu is influenza virus spread to humans through ducks, pigs or even domestic birds like chicken. There are lots of different varieties of bird flu where some only cause mild symptoms in birds such as reduced egg production, other strains prove more dangerous and cause more severe symptoms leading to death. H5N1 is one of the strains that is dangerous to birds. Most people infected with H5N1 strain of avian flu have caught it directly from birds. Bird flu can also be known as “Avian flu”. Bird flu is used to describe influenza virus H5N1 which produces a highly infectious and rapidly fatal disease. It can lead to severe infections more quickly and more extensively among group of birds. Bird flu is caused by different subtypes of influenza. A virus spread thru chickens, ducks, pigs and other bird viruses are causes of bird flu. This kind of sickness can transform into virus that can lead to development of H5N1 virus and spreading to humans.

The most common symptoms of bird flu are fever. Apart from fever a person suffering from flu will have cough which is similar to normal flu. This symptoms may include a blocked ...
... a nose, sore throat and cough. Symptoms of bird flu include high temperature, cold seats, shivers, headaches, fatigue, aching joints, aching limbs. Gastro intestinal symptoms such as vomiting, nausea and diarrhea are much more common among children and can lead to adults. These symptoms for bird flu may linger for about a week and the affected person may feel tired and gloomy and this can go on for several weeks.

Treatments of bird flu no definite treatments but some medications and natural treatments will help to reduce severity of the symptoms of bird flu. Antiviral medications used to treat human flu viruses can help to reduce symptoms of bird flu by stopping the spread of virus within the body. So far the strain of bird flu virus that has been passed to several people from birds seems to be an effective treatment for bird flu. Bird flu virus evolves extensively over time and virus could become resistant to stockpiled bird flu treatments. There are many problems with antiviral drugs such as shelf life, effectiveness of the drug once virus mutates and high probability that the virus will develop a resistance to any drugs that are widely used.

If antiviral drugs and vaccines are not available then natural remedies may just be as effective to fight viral infection and relieve flu symptoms. Green tea is known to be a very effective antiviral agent. It inhibits the production of neuraminidase. Drinking hot liquids can relieve nasal congestion and soothe your throat. Fresh fruit and vegetables such as carrots, oranges, apples, chili peppers and bell peppers or even lightly cooked garlic, horseradish and onion should be included in daily diet. It can lower patient’s susceptibility to the bird flu virus. Gargling can bring temporary relief to a sore throat. Steam inhalation will relieve the congestion and fight against infection. Mask for bird flu is a must for patients who are infected with asthma, emphysema, pneumonia and bronchitis as such. Masks provide protection against airborne viruses from entering through a person nose and mouth.