The bird flu is a nasty illness that has gotten a lot of international attention in the last couple of years.
What is the bird flu?
The bird flu is literally a type of flu that is spread and largely contracted by birds. It's a virus that is found in bird excretions, such as feces and other mucous matter. The bird flu starts with birds and spreads quickly among birds, but it can spread to other animals and humans. A human cannot give the bird flu to another human, but a human can get the bird flu from a bird.
Symptoms of the bird flu
Symptoms of the bird flu are very similar to symptoms we experience with the regular old flu. They include stuffy noses, achy body, headaches and fever. However, the bird flu has a respiratory element that is not usually found in your household flu. A person who is experiencing flu symptoms and then feels the sickness spread to their respiratory system, should immediately get to the doctor because this may be a sign of bird flu. Normal flu symptoms do not include respiratory problems.
Avoiding the bird flu
Do not let the bird flu scare you. As mentioned before, it's gotten a lot of attention in the past couple of years, but it's gotten blown up in the media. To begin with, the bird flu is prevalent in Asia, not North America. There have been some reported cases in North America, but as of this publishing, no one in the U.S. has died of the bird flu.
Even though there really isn't a bird flue epidemic infiltrating the United States, there are some precautions you can take to keep yourself safe from the bird flu. For starters, if you go to Asia, avoid open markets. Open air markets are prevalent in Asian cultures and while they're fun to experience and have a wide variety of food, they can facilitate bird flu infections because they often carry raw poultry. If you want to go to an open air market, make sure not to touch or buy any raw poultry. Those of you who are extra cautious can wear a mask over your face when walking through the market.
People who work with poultry or come in contact with birds can protect themselves from the bird flu by constantly washing their hands after coming in contact with the bird or bird's excretions, keeping birds out of the home and cleaning areas that are frequented with birds with anti-bacterial solutions.
