Warnings and lack of information

Recently, international health authorities, such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and their regional offices, have warned about the possibility of propagation of a type of flu that isn’t human, but has proven to be able to infect people under certain circumstances: bird flu. It has been highly stressful for many sectors to receive the news and warnings on the possibilities of a bird flu epidemic, also called avian influenza or chicken flu. For knowing more about this disease, specially avian influenza A (H5N1), which is infecting birds in Asia and has infected some humans, we asked the specialists at the Centers of Disease Control in the USA.

Bird flu (of birds) is an infection caused by the virus of avian influenza, which are naturally present among birds. Wild birds around the world transport the virus in their intestines, but don’t usually get sick from it. However, bird flu is very contagious among birds and can make some domestic birds, including chickens, ducks and turkeys, seriously ill and die.

This virus generally doesn’t infect humans, but since 1997 there have been many cases of humans infected by bird flu.

In the feet, like a map, the whole human body is represented.