Comment: Avian Influenza (by Kasia Denysiuk)

The area between Hong Kong and the Guangdong province in the Southwestern part of Asia is the biggest hatchery of viruses in the world. In this district, new strains of influenza have been coming into being for hundreds of years. If any germs found the breeding ground, it could lead to the outbreak of an epidemic. All viruses are existing among water birds, but if the people, birds, and farm animals live together, the viruses can jump from one species to the other. Sharing the same space often means sharing the same diseases. Nipah, a virus which caused the epidemic in Asia four years ago, was spread among birds and pigs before it attacked people. Similarly has the bird flu developed since 1997.

The virus of avian influenza (H5N1) has attacked approximately a dozen million chickens so far. But more and more frequently, it is being spotted among people, especially in Vietnam. Among these victims, there are two children, a five-year-old boy and an eight-year-old girl, who caught the virus in a poultry farm in Ha Tay province (she died five days after first signs of infection). H5N1 can't spread between people across great distances since only contact with and infected bird's feces can infect you. But the World Health Organization (WHO) warns that there is a possibility that the virus mutates.

Suppose this scenario becomes true. Let's imagine that we are in China where we catch the avian influenza virus. It has a very short period of incubation. We transmit germs even though we do not know we are sick. Unintentionally, our friends, family and relatives become our victims. Every time we cough, laugh, or breathe, we spread the virus. Influenza is a disease of the upper respiratory tract, which is one of the most important reasons for its success, as the virus does not need to move far into the human body. After twelve hours it leads to small infection that gradually grows in strength as the more malignant the virus is, the faster it develops. Every day in the world, up to 4 million people use planes. We can arrive anywhere we want and with us we carry not only our luggage but also our viruses. Let's imagine we are flying to London. By travelling, we infect other people - on board the plane, at the airport, and in the city we are visiting. Our stay could evoke a chain reaction and in consequence, an epidemic on a large scale. In 2003 during the SARS epidemic, a warning was issued against traveling to the parts of the world that presented a menace, a strategy that worked. Maybe in case of the bird flu, it will be effective as well.

[ issue contents ] [ fmm home ] [ send feedback ] [ tell a friend ]