Is there a difference between bird flu and human flu?

Both bird flu and human flu are caused by variations or strains of influenza A virus. The strain of bird flu virus that is currently circulating (H5N1) affects birds and does not easily transfer to humans. Although rare instances of human to human spread have occurred, the ability of the bird flu virus to spread between people seems limited. However, there is great concern that H5N1 could mutate or combine with a human flu virus to form a new human pandemic flu virus that spreads rapidly from person to person all around the world.

What is pandemic flu?

Pandemic flu is a type of influenza that spreads rapidly to affect people in most countries of the world. A pandemic occurs when an influenza virus develops that is so different from previous strains that few people have any immunity to it. The symptoms of pandemic flu may be similar to ordinary flu but are usually more severe and cause more deaths. Pandemics are recurring events. There have been three major pandemics during the last century.

	Pandemic	Year	Estimated deaths (global)	Estimated deaths (UK)	Main groups affected
	Spanish flu	1918 to 1919	20 to 40 million	250,000	Healthy young adults (20 to 40 years)
	Asian flu	1957 to 1958	1 million	33,000	The very young and the very old
	Hong Kong flu	1968 to 1969	1 to 4 million	30,000	The elderly and those with underlying health problems

What is the difference between an epidemic and a pandemic?

An epidemic is an outbreak of an infectious disease that occurs within a specific country or region. When an outbreak affects the whole world or many countries throughout the world, it is known as a pandemic.

Are humans catching bird flu?

Yes—but so far numbers are relatively small and in only a handful of countries. As of 3 February 2007, 271 people in Azerbaijan, Cambodia, China, Djibouti, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam have caught the bird flu virus. Of these cases, 165 have been fatal. However, this is a small number compared with the huge number of birds affected and the numerous associated opportunities for human exposure, especially in areas where backyard flocks are common. Those affected caught the disease through direct and close contact with infected birds or surfaces contaminated by their faeces, not from other people.

Can experts predict when a human influenza pandemic will occur?

No, there is no means of determining when a pandemic will begin. Scientists predict that another pandemic will happen, possibly quite soon, but they do not know when. The World Health Organisation is continuously monitoring the situation. Click here for the latest information.

Has bird flu come to the UK?

Yes. In 2006 there were reports of two isolated cases while in 2007, so far there has been one large outbreak in a turkey farm in Suffolk. The important point to remember is that there have been no cases of avian influenza in humans and the risk to humans is low.

H5N1 was detected in a parrot held in a secure quarantine unit in Essex in October 2005 and in 6 April 2006, a whooper swan was found dead in Fife, Scotland. However, increased surveillance has not revealed any other cases.

On 3rd February 2007 the first mass outbreak in a commercial poultry flock was reported with the death of 2,600 turkeys on a farm at Holton, Suffolk. The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) immediately initiated a programme to contain the outbreak which included the culling of the remaining 159,000 birds within the flock, imposing controls on the movement of birds within the immediate vicinity of the farm, and setting up a further three-kilometre protection zone and 10km surveillance zone around the centre of the outbreak. DEFRA continue to monitor the situation with the hope that the outbreak has been contained. Click here for the latest information on avian influenza in birds in the UK.

How does bird flu spread?

Susceptible birds (and in rare cases humans) become infected with the avian influenza virus through inhalation or ingestion of an infected bird’s saliva, nasal secretions or droppings. These can contaminate food, soil and drinking water, and spread on surfaces such as cages, food, shoes and clothing.

The humans that have caught H5N1 have mainly picked up the virus through close contact with infected poultry or with surfaces and objects contaminated by their faeces. High risk activities include;

• slaughtering, plucking and butchering infected poultry
• preparing infected poultry for consumption
• children playing in areas contaminated with the faeces of free-range poultry and possibly, swimming in water contaminated by infected birds

So far, the ability of H5N1 to spread from person to person seems limited. However, if the virus does gain the ability to spread between people (in the same way as ‘normal’ seasonal flu), good hygiene will be essential to help reduce the risk of infection.

Do seasonal flu vaccines work against avian or pandemic flu?

Flu vaccines contain inactivated (dead) virus particles that cause the body to produce protective antibodies against a specific strain or strains. These natural antibodies make it impossible for the flu virus to enter your cells, and prevent the replication and spread to other cells and people. Because the ‘normal’ seasonal flu virus mutates, we have to produce a different vaccination every year to protect those who are at risk from the strain of influenza that is currently circulating. The vaccines for seasonal influenza will not provide any protection against bird flu or a pandemic flu virus.

Do we have a vaccine to protect us from the current (H5N1) strain of bird flu?

Yes. Vaccine specific to H5N1 virus as available and the Government and health officials will advise on their use should an outbreak occur. Click here current Government advice.

Will antiviral drugs prevent the spread of bird flu?

Although scientists believe antiviral drugs may reduce the duration of symptoms, potentially helping to save lives, they will not stop a person from spreading the infection on to others.

What can I do if I visit a country that has bird flu?

The Department of Health recommends that if you are visiting countries with reported outbreaks of H5N1 bird flu among poultry, you should;

• not visit bird or poultry farms or markets
• avoid close contact with live or dead poultry
• not eat raw or poorly cooked poultry or poultry products (e.g. eggs)
• wash your hands frequently with soap and water
• not attempt to bring any live birds or poultry products back to the UK

What good hygiene procedures should I follow?

The Department of Health recommends the following precautions to reduce the risk of catching or spreading influenza:

• When coughing or sneezing, cover the mouth and nose with a tissue if possible.
• Dispose of used tissues promptly and carefully. Put them in a bag and then bin them.
• Avoid non-essential travel and large crowds whenever possible.
• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water to reduce the risk of picking the virus up from surfaces and passing it on. Click here for further information about hand washing.
• Clean hard surfaces (e.g. kitchen worktops, door handles) frequently.
• Ensure children follow this advice.

Does cooking infected poultry kill the bird flu virus?

Yes. Normal cooking temperatures recommended for cooking poultry will destroy the virus. Temperatures of 70 degrees C (160 degrees F) completely kill the virus. You should always make sure that you cook poultry thoroughly and that you wash your hands and clean surfaces after handling raw poultry. Click here for more information about the safe preparation of poultry.

Click here to contact our team for more information or advice about avian influenza.