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History
of the Bird Flu
The history of the
bird flu and similar viruses could be the greatest warning we
need to take a potential bird flu pandemic seriously according to
prominent Australian health writer Andrew Cavanagh.
If the current strain of avian influenza mutates to a human to human
bird flu history suggests tens of millions of people could die he says.
And Cavanagh says the only practical every day precaution effective at
preventing a repeat of the dreadful bird flu history of the past could
be effective hand hygiene.
Bird flu history goes back to the early 1900s.
Recently the US Centers for disease control
obtained virus samples from the dead bodies of victims of the 1918
Spanish flu.
The results of this research suggest the Spanish flu virus that broke
out in 1918 probably started as a bird flu too.
This is alarming news because the Spanish flu killed from 20 to 50
million people.
A similar virus today could be much worse because our population
densities are so much higher and people regularly travel across the
world in less than a day.
The history of the bird flu supports UN Health's David Nabaro in his
estimate that a mutated human to human bird flu virus could kill
between 5 million and 150 million people.
Cavanagh says many now see these escalating health authority warnings
as bird flu hype.
But medical authorities have seen a fast spreading killer virus a major
global health threat for decades and the current strain of bird flu has
been impossible to contain spreading across Asia and Europe with
migrating birds.
This rapid spread is increasing the chance that the bird flu virus will
mutate to a human to human virus repeating the gruesome history of the
Spanish flu pandemic of 1918.
The history of the bird flu is more recent and even more alarming
according to Britain's chief medical officer Sir Liam Donaldson.
Sir Liam said in a BBC interview that it wasn't a question of if a
virus like the bird flu would hit but when.
He said history shows us that a bird flu virus can combine with a human
virus very easily.
And an unusual strain of influenza is likely to kill many people
because the general population hasn't had a chance to build a natural
resistance to viruses that come from unusual sources like birds.
Influenza viruses like the bird flu created dreadful history in 1918
with the Spanish flu, 1958 with the Asian flu pandemic and in 1968 with
the Hong Kong flu.
Sir Liam also pointed out that times have changed since the Spanish flu
of 1918.
We won't have an effective vaccine until after the bird flu virus
mutates and that will take several months to produce for a large
population – if it can be produced before the virus mutates
again making the vaccine ineffective.
But we do have antiviral drugs, hospital facilities, intensive care and
antibiotics.
Cavanagh points out we also have improved public amenities like running
water and improved hygiene and hygiene may be the first and most
practical line of defense against killer viruses like the bird flu.
He says over 90% of viruses like the bird flu enter our bodies through
contact between the mucous membranes of the eyes and nose and the
fingernails.
Learning effective hand washing is recommended by all major health
authorities including the World Health Authority as a basic bird flu
prevention.
To help the general population learn more about how to use effective
hand washing and other advanced hygiene practices to reduce their
chances of catching killer viruses Cavanagh is giving away a free
report How
To Prevent Bird Flu at
http://www.howtopreventbirdflu.com
For more on the bird flu, see the news updates on our
homepage Latest Bird Flu News
and news from the wires on Bird
Flu News
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