How Dangerous is Avian Flu?

From the website of Dr. Andrew Weil:

There is cause for great concern. Avian flu is an infectious disease that affects birds, but it is caused by the same strain of the influenza virus responsible for most types of human flu. The strain now spreading in Asia, H5N1, is very dangerous – it kills nearly 100 percent of the birds infected and has been very damaging to poultry farms. It also can infect humans, causing severe disease and even death. To become infected, you probably would have to eat raw, infected poultry or have had prolonged exposure to the virus. So far, at least 60 people in Asia have died after contracting H5N1. Most of these cases resulted from contact with infected poultry or contaminated surfaces, although health officials believe that, in some instances, the flu spread from person-to-person contact.

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Barbara C.Phillips, NP
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