Influenza Avian Flu strain has become more contagious and dangerous.

The Influenza avian flu strain - H5N1 has mutated since 2002 to become more dangerous and increases the risk of causing a pandemic disease.

The Asian strain H5N1 influenza virus has changed its characters since 2002, as the virus has become less deadly to ducks; the virus multiplies in the ducks without infecting them but spreads and infects other birds and humans. The duck Waterfowl is a natural host for H5N1 influenza virus, these ducks are acting as reservoir for the virus without infecting them, and this new evolving strain has killed a large number of birds. Since 2002, this flu virus strain has continuously reverted his characters to form less dangerous to the ducks but is still able to cause illness and death in chickens and humans. A new pandemic kind of threat as occurred due to the characters of these strain as these ducks are unaffected by the ducks but still can continue to circulate the virus.

"These results suggest that the duck has become the Trojan horse of Asian H5N1 influenza viruses," reported a research team led by Robert G. Webster of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis , Tenn.

Ducks in the lab were infected with H5N1 strain isolated after 2003 and it was found that these strains were contagious for 11-17 days; these strains have a longer transmission time compared to the strains isolated before 2002. Moreover, the new strains were also transmitted through upper respiratory tract compared to the older strains which was transmitted only by oral-fecal route. The flu virus isolated from the ducks no longer caused infection in the ducks when re-infected but caused the deaths of the chickens.

Influenza virus H5N1 is becoming very dangerous for the past two decades, due to which more than hundred millions of birds, including poultry and wild birds have been died or slaughtered across Asia . The main concern is due to the infection in humans has 51 people have died due to infection with this strain in Vietnam , Thailand and Cambodia . The infection occurred due to transmission of the virus from birds. Researchers feel that there are concern regarding the mutation of the virus, if these virus undergoes mutation there are chances of the virus spreading from person to person causing a pandemic disease, which will kill millions of people across the world.

Medindia on Avian flu – Further Information:

Avian Influenza: Avian influenza (AI) or Bird Flu is a disease of viral etiology that ranges from a mild or even asymptomatic infection to an acute, fatal disease of chickens, turkeys, guinea fowls, and other avian species, especially migratory waterfowl.

For more information read:
https://www.medindia.net/Patients/
PatientInfo/birdflu.asp

Respiratory Diseases: You may take breathing for granted, thinking that it is just an involuntary reflex action. But for the millions of people who suffer from respiratory diseases, each breath is a major accomplishment. Those people include patients with chronic lung problems, such as asthma , bronchitis, and emphysema, but they also include heart attack and accident victims, premature infants, and people with cystic fibrosis, lung cancer, or AIDS. In this booklet, however, we propose to discuss some of the common respiratory diseases.

For more information read:
https://www.medindia.net/patients/
patientinfo/respiratory_diseases.asp

Pneumonia: Pneumonia is infection of one or both lungs which is usually caused by a microorganism which can be either a bacteria, virus or fungus. Discovery of antibiotics in the last 50 years has dramatically improved the treatment of pneumonia.

For more information read:
https://www.medindia.net/Patients/
PatientInfo/pneumonia.asp