Symptoms of bird flu are the first sign that birds or animals have been infected with the virus. Here's everything you need to know about symptoms of bird flu.

What is bird flu?

Bird flu is a flu virus that, you guessed it, affects birds. It also affects humans and other animals though it is most prevalent in birds. For a bird, symptoms of bird flu include decreased egg production and decreased energy levels. You can tell if your birds are suffering from symptoms of bird flu if they are lethargic and are releasing secretions, such as mucus, that they don't usually let out.

Before you panic and put Tweety in a backroom closet, remember that symptoms of bird flu are not often found in pet birds. Symptoms of bird flu are usually found in large groups of birds, such as poultry that's kept as livestock. This virus travels rapidly within large bird populations that live and move together. Household birds rarely get symptoms of bird flu. However, if you have poultry as livestock, make sure to wash your hands with antibacerialsoap before you interact with your pet bird.

Symptoms of bird flu in humans

Can humans get bird flu? Yes they can, but it's not very common especially because governments tend to take precautionary measures to prevent the spread of bird flu as soon as an outbreak is reported.

A human with symptoms of bird flu will feel, at least initially, like they're coming down with the same flu that an entire office will catch during flu season. They'll get a headache, cough, fever and body aches. Whenever you get severe flu-like symptoms, you should go to the doctor. If you get severe flu-like symptoms that turn into a respiratory infection, then you should definitely go to a doctor because when the symptoms take this turn, you might be experiencing symptoms of bird flu.

How to prevent getting bird flu

The best way to avoid symptoms of bird flu is to take precautions against getting bird flu. First, you need to pay attention to your surroundings. Read the newspaper, turn on the news, listen to what people are saying at work, as these are the quickest ways to hear about the latest bird flu outbreaks. Luckily, the U.S. government has recognized that bird flu outbreaks are a cause for concern so when there is an outbreak, they stop importing poultry from the outbreak's country of origin. The government will also destroy or vaccinate birds that are thought to have symptoms of bird flu.

The next best thing to do to avoid symptoms of bird flu is wash your hands when you come into contact with bird excretions. Wearing masks when dealing with these birds will also help prevent symptoms of bird flu.