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Avian influenza frequently asked questions

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Which viruses cause highly pathogenic disease? Influenza A viruses1 have 16 H subtypes and 9 N subtypes2. Only viruses of the H5 and ...

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Avian influenza frequently asked questionsPage 1Avian influenza frequently asked questionsWhat is avian influenza?Avian influenza or bird flu is a contagious virus that normally infects only birds.Avian influenza viruses generally dont cause problems in people but have on rareoccasions crossed the species barrier to infect humans.In domestic poultry infection with avian influenza viruses causes two main forms ofdisease distinguished by low and high extremes of virulence. The socalled lowpathogenic form commonly causes only mild symptoms (ruffled feathers a drop in eggproduction) and may easily go undetected. The highly pathogenic form is far moredramatic. It spreads very rapidly through poultry flocks causes disease affecting multipleinternal organs and has a mortality that can approach 100% often within 48 hours.Which viruses cause highly pathogenic disease?Influenza A viruses1 have 16 H subtypes and 9 N subtypes2. Only viruses of the H5 andH7 subtypes are known to cause the highly pathogenic form of the disease. However notall viruses of the H5 and H7 subtypes are highly pathogenic and not all will cause severedisease in poultry.On present understanding H5 and H7 viruses are introduced to poultry flocks in their lowpathogenic form. When allowed to circulate in poultry populations the viruses canmutate usually within a few months into the highly pathogenic form. This is why thepresence of an H5 or H7 virus in poultry is always cause for concern even when theinitial signs of infection are mild.What are the implications for human health?The widespread persistence of H5N1 in poultry populations poses two main risks forhuman health.The first is the risk of direct infection when the virus passes from poultry to humansresulting in very severe disease. Of the few avian influenza viruses that have crossed thespecies barrier to infect humans H5N1 has caused the largest number of cases of severedisease and death in humans. Unlike normal seasonal influenza where infection cau ...

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