The spread of bird flu is once again detected across the American state of Iowa, and the authorities need to be careful. It’s well-known that the avian influenza virus can be very dangerous, and in some rare cases, it can even infect humans who come in contact with poultry.
According to RawStory.com, about 12 outbreaks of bird flu occurred in the US this year, affecting more than 13 million birds. Flocks are culled as soon as they become infected, as the authorities see the measure as being a great way to prevent a spread.
Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig explained for Iowa Press and as RawStory.com quotes:
If we continue to see the spread of (highly pathogenic avian influenza) and affecting more and more sites … I think you could very well see a change in price and even availability,
Now, the good news about the poultry industry is they can restock quickly — they can rebuild populations.
Regarding the possible transmission of avian influenza to us humans, check out what the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) had to say:
More than 700 human infections with Asian HPAI H5N1 viruses have been reported to WHO from primarily 15 countries in Asia, Africa, the Pacific, Europe and the Near East since November 2003. Indonesia, Vietnam and Egypt have reported the highest number of human HPAI Asian H5N1 cases to date.
Although it’s still pretty unlikely to become infected with the disease from your poultry, we all know that acting cautious is pretty much always a good thing. The virus can be transmitted after contact with feces and secretions from the mouth, nose, or eyes of an infected bird.
The H5N1 strain of the influenza virus was first detected in people back in 1997 in Hong Kong. During that outbreak, both humans and chickens were infected by the virus.