Can avian influenza be transmitted to humans?
Can avian influenza be transmitted to humans?
Infected birds shed avian influenza virus in their saliva, mucous and feces. Human infections with bird flu viruses can happen when enough virus gets into a person’s eyes, nose or mouth, or is inhaled.
Is avian influenza the same disease as human influenza?
Sometimes, this disease can also spread from wild birds into domestic poultry. Although avian influenza and human influenza are both caused by influenza viruses, each virus generally affects either birds or people, not both.
How did influenza spread to humans?
Influenza is caused by a virus that is transmitted from person to person through airborne respiratory secretions. An outbreak can occur if a new strain of influenza virus emerges against which the population has no immunity.
Can you catch a virus from birds?
Infected birds shed bird flu virus in their saliva, mucous and feces. Human infections with bird flu viruses are rare, but they can happen when enough virus gets into a person’s eyes, nose or mouth, or is inhaled.
What happens if we eat bird flu chicken?
There is no scientific proof that the bird flu virus can affect a healthy human through poultry products like meat and eggs. As confirmed by the World Health Organisation, it is absolutely safe to eat bird eggs and/or meat if they are washed and cooked properly.
What animal did the flu come from?
The virus that caused the 1918 influenza pandemic probably sprang from North American domestic and wild birds, not from the mixing of human and swine viruses.
How did avian flu spread?
The disease is transmitted via contact with an infected bird’s feces, or secretions from its nose, mouth or eyes. Open-air markets, where eggs and birds are sold in crowded and unsanitary conditions, are hotbeds of infection and can spread the disease into the wider community.
Can I get bird flu from touching a bird?
Infection can occur without touching poultry. Bird flu infections in people are rare, but possible. Most reported bird flu infections in people have happened after unprotected contact with infected birds or contaminated surfaces.
