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Understanding the Connection Between Bird, Human, and Pandemic Flu
Currently, the avian flu in the news, the H5N1 virus, is the only known strain of bird flu found in humans.
An influenza (flu) pandemic occurs when an existing strain of the influenza virus mutates, creating a new strain, which can spread quickly and easily between humans who have little or no immunity. One way that a new strain can emerge is if a person who is ill with human flu virus also becomes infected with an avian flu virus, and the two viruses mix. Currently, the avian flu in the news, the H5N1 virus, is the only known strain of bird flu found in humans.
People can become ill after prolonged exposure to infected poultry, or in settings where people are in close proximity to bird feces and excretions, which may be heavily contaminated with the virus. Although there has been some human-to-human spread of H5N1, it has been limited and isolated to areas of Asia. In North America, there have been cases of the bird flu between birds, but not the H5N1 strain. To learn more about Pandemic Influenza, visit www.pandemicinfluenza.gc.ca or contact your local health department.
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