is this bird flu REALLY that dangerous? or just a fad?
96318
The bird flu isn't really dangerous now, but it has potential to become a serious threat. The main problem with bird flu is its high resistance to antibiotics. And everytime one of those few people with it are treated, there is the chance that new strains resistant to that treatment will develop. \n\nThe main difference between bird flu and malaria is that we generally have malaria isolated in africa, with few exceptions, where as we dont really know how far bird flu has spread. There's also vaccines to prevent malaria and drugs to treat it.\n\nAlso, bird flu hits and kills a person very fast.. typically wthin 3-4 days. The potential of the bird flu has been compared The spanish flu back in 1919 that killed 50-100 million people in a 1 year time span. In comparison, 1-2 million people die from malaria every year.
120313
So far bird flu is not contagious from human to human.  So unless someone brings home a flock of chickens, I don't think you have much to worry about.
258778
Most of our info is very speculative as of now, as when it comes to future mutations of the bird flue, all we have are our fears. Really, we're worried about a recurrance of the Spanish Flue, which killed millions in the early twentieth century. As of now however, there has been only one case of bird flue transmitted between people, the rest has been from bird to poultry worker (total infected is around 100 people I believe). The big deal is, from the infected we've seen, it has a 50% mortality rate, and this is before it's even fully evolved to attack humans.\n\nHowever, a good deal of this is speculation, as it is easily possible that many more have been infected and fealt no adverse effects, or nothing more than a cold. All the cases we now know about were severe enough to warrant hospitalization, but what if there are many more that never had to go to the hospital, and so we never learned about them?\n\nBut, with 2 mutations left to go to be fully suited to attack humans, the avian flue (H1N1) it can't be long until we know for sure.\n\nTo prevent this, people are attempting to quarentine and kill ay infected birds nd poultry, but as you can imagine, this is easier said than done. We're also stocking up on Tamiflu, which some say is our best shot at an antiviral for fighting this thing.\n\nThe Spanish Flu ended when it burned itself out. It moved so quickly that it killed off the more suceptable humans, and the tougher ones became immune. It had nowhere left to go, and died off. If the avian flu is anything like it, the same will happen, though our use of antivirals may hamper this.\n\nThese pandemics are a natural part of population control and evolution. Who can say what we do to our species when we do all we can to fight it, and keep it from having an impact upon us?
301002
The reason we watch asian flus is b/c the farms there are set up w/ ponds where ducks rest and pigs drink. The duck/bird strains are more likely to mutate to the pig first than to a human- the catch is, a pig is actually very close to us as far as internal working go, and it is easier for a pig strain (origianlly from a bird) can then mutate to infect the farmers... and then spread to the general population. So the likelihood... good. Pray. Peace out.
1179280
It has to do with the level of industrialization of countries, I think.  In the US, for instance, people don't have their children pluck chickens to eat, because we have machines that do it for us.  (The first and most common cases of bird flu in Asia are young boys who pluck chickens, it's this contact with the dead birds bloody body that passes the disease)  If there was a virus in chickens, a)it would die on the dead bird before people bought it because it couldn't feed off the dead bird's cells, or b) it would be killed in our ultra-efficient gas stoves.  We don't like to kill animals or handle their bodies in the US because our level of industrialization is such that we don't have to, so, less chance of bird flu.\n\nIn Africa, the spread of and the inception of diseases also has to do with industrialization because people tend to live closer to wild animals and to forest or jungle (We clear large swaths of land to build huge cities or suburban towns, but in smaller African towns people live nearer to wildlife).  This is why sometimes diseases like AIDS or Ebola will "come out of the jungle", meaning that someone had an encounter with a wild animal who had the disease, and they spread it to others in the town.  People tavelling from town to town or from towns to cities bring the diseases far, but they originate when people have encounters with wild animals.\n\nThe US is just so removed from wildlife because of our high level of industrialization that we don't often get diseases straight from animals: they have to be borne human-to-human to reach us, which I think in these cases is a good thing!
206453
Actually, the bird flu is a pandemic, and it sort of could be a plague if it spreads more
252186
No way to tell how bad it would be if the virus changes enough to become readily contagious in humans, as most of the  'regular' flu viruses are. \n\nAvian flu viruses have some common characteristics  which allow them to infect birds, and the 1981 "Spanish flu" (which killed maybe 40 or more million worldwide. Enough has now been recovered frmm improperly prepared human bodies buried in the Arctic permafrost in 1918, to be certain the samples found must have a bird flu virus oringinally. 1918 was our species' (ie, humans) only known encounter with a human contagious avian flu. \n\nIf this one changes (no one knows quite how it would need to so) to become human infectious, then it'spossible we'll have a 1918 type epidemic. If we do, the death toll will be high as there are far more people on the planet, they are packed tightly together in many places, and there's a goodly bit of malnutrition, existing diseases, stres, warfare, etc that the death toll is likley to higher on a percentage basis than last time. \n\nNote VERY carefully: we do not know what will have to happen to the virus for it to become contagious in humans. Nor, if it does, whether it will retain the high mortality rate in such folks it currently has. And so most anything said about it is speculation. No matter who says it -- doctor, politician, civil service staff, vendors of stuff to help and some of which will be stuff that's illegal to bring into the country, etc. Avoid going along with anyone who's pushing some agenda (including sales and profit). \n\nNo final nor easy answer.
591189
no.....wait wait wait...do you live in hong kong by any chance? if so, it could be that bird flu thing.
203990
Have you heard, watched, or read ANYTHING about the bird flu?!
581488
This is commonly known as the Avian Flu virus or Bird Flu....
1165530
I guess the big deal is if you read the history books about the 1918 virus its really scary.  There were 1.5 million Americans killed in that influenza with another 10 million or so dead around the world.  It is tagged the N1H1 virus and this is an offshoot of it.  As virus are always mutating it possible that this one could too and become more of a killer.   \n\nGo to a bookstore or Amazon and look for books on the big influenze of 1918.  References to it were nearly written out of our history.  Now that's amazing!!
254869
Viruses mutate.  What is a harmless virus today could change a gene-pair on its DNA and be a real killer tomorrow...  Same reason some diseases go away - like the flu pandemic that killed millions in 1918 or so - we haven't seen it since.\n\nThis is what is scary about the bird flu - right now humans only get it from direct contact with infected birds - that would mena that since most of us do not raise our own fowl anymore most of us were safe, right?  Wrong... If a person has it, and it mutates in that person's body to allow person-to-person transmission, the human population is at risk from other humans... and if it is spread easily, it could be huge.
274567
It's an AVIAN flu virus. We already have it here (~10-15 BIRDS with it and maybe 1-2 people) and it's no big deal right now. IF it manages to acquire the ability for human to human transmission THEN we are all in big trouble. \n\nRight now I would only worry for people that go hunting or people that keep lots of birds. You can only get it from birds...
834040
They both can be very dangerous, but since the flu is more widely spread and probably more life threatening.  I will say the flu is the worse.
652877
I as a Christian believe that the "bird flu" is one of the many, many signs yet to come which means that the end is drawing near. Yes, the "bird flu" is a sign of a plague that could kill many and indeed spread throughout the world if a cure is not soon to be found. Plagues are often man made I believe, maybe not all but a good many. There are many signs still to come in Revelations, but noone can pinpoint the exact day,time, or even year that the Lord will return. Just know this, if you are saved then you will not be left behind, God will take you with him like all the other believers.
220354
As it stands right now, most people are safe from the bird flu. The other answers are right in that you have to handle infected birds to get the virus. Most of the time, we are safe from a virus that is carried by another species. Occasionally, however, a virus mutates in such a way that it is able to "jump species" and infect humans. When this happens, our immune system is little prepared to defend us from the unusual-type virus. The good news is that right now it can only pass from birds to humans. If it should mutate to the point that humans can pass it amongst themselves, then it will likely become pandemic. Therefore, the fears that people are having are based on "scientific possibility" and the government is responding to those fears; not creating the fear.
285043
I have heard stories of killer bees being a huge threat, a huge flu season for the last three years, so I'm a little skeptical about this bird flu.\n\nThat being said having an emergency plan for any contingency is ALWAYS a good thing.  The old Boy Scout motto of being alway prepared comes to mind