How dangerous is bird flu?

The alert was raised when the first death in the world from the avian flu virus had apparently been confirmed, however, the WHO retracted that statement.

Last Wednesday the WHO issued a statement reporting the death of a Mexican due to avian flu. However, Christian Lindmeier, the WHO spokesperson, clarified this Friday that he died due to multifactorial causes.

For his part, Jorge Alcocer Varela, the Secretary of Health of Mexico, reported that he also suffered from long-standing systemic arterial hypertension and type 2 diabetes, which is why he considered the WHO statement to be inaccurate.

What is bird flu?

According to the Pan American Health Organization, it is an infectious disease that mainly affects birds.

Also called avian influenza is caused by the type A virus, which is transmitted from bird to bird with the capacity to infect other species of animals.

They also have subtypes which They can be classified as low pathogenicity and high pathogenicity.

The first refers to mild symptoms and is easy to miss, while the second refers to the fact that it can cause serious illnesses accompanied by high mortality rates.

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Although they do not normally affect humans, sporadic cases of avian influenza viruses have occurred, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

They add that The current risk to the general public is low, it is mainly an animal health problem.

The CDC specifies that “the detection of these H5 viruses in wild birds, poultry, certain mammals, and in two people in the United States does not change the health risk to the general public.”

However, people who are around infected animals for work or recreational purposes, such as farm or stable workers, are at greater risk of contracting it.

How is it contracted?

You can become infected if you touch your eyes, nose, or mouth after handling infected birds, contaminated surfaces, or items.

Likewise, it is enough to breathe droplets or dust contaminated by the virus to contract it.

Rarely, it can be contracted from another infected person, eating improperly handled or cooked poultry, eggs, and beef, or drinking raw milk.

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Symptoms in humans

These can range from mild to severe, similar to those of the seasonal flu. It is also possible not to present any symptoms.

An infected human may experience fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, as well as muscle or body aches and headache.

So are fatigue, red eyes, breathing problems, and diarrhea.

In the case of the subtype with high pathogenicity, extreme care must be taken since it can cause pneumonia and hospitalization may be required.

How to prevent it?

Medline Plus highlights the importance of wearing the right protective equipment if you spend a lot of time in contact with birds or other animals.

You should wash your hands with soap and water after touching birds or other animals.

Also be sure to handle and cook food safely and avoid raw milk.