Originally published November 3 2005
Experts collaborate to dispel rumors about bird flu
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
U.S. health officials talk about the possibility of avian influenza entering the country and what health precautions the average consumer should take to protect against the virus.
That is one of many questions on the minds of Americans who aren't sure how to react to scary headlines and ominous warnings about avian flu.
World health officials say we may be on the verge of a bird-flu pandemic, but so far, the disease has killed fewer than 70 people since it emerged as a threat eight years ago.
Right now, the bird-flu virus doesn't move from bird to human very easily, requiring very close contact with an infected bird, feces or blood.
In Asia, most of the people who have become infected are those who have raised poultry, killed and plucked birds, or worked closely with infected domestic or wild birds.
For instance, in a few cases, handlers of fighting birds got sick after giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to an injured bird, notes Suresh Mittal, a Purdue University virology professor working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on a vaccine.
At least 100 million birds likely have been infected, but there are just 121 documented cases of human infection, so the odds of catching flu from a bird are clearly very low.
The fear is that it will become more contagious, which could happen if it mutates or combines with a human virus.
The risk is especially worrisome as infected birds migrate to Africa.
All of this increases the risk that bird flu will combine with a human virus, and once that happens, the disease will likely spread quickly.
It is safe to eat cooked poultry and eggs.
The CDC hasn't recommended that people cancel travel plans as a result of the avian-flu outbreak.
Two antiviral drugs, Tamiflu and Relenza, might work to reduce symptoms of bird flu and shorten the duration of the illness.
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