Q: Nearly every week, I hear something about bird flu on the news. What exactly is it?

About Avian Influenza

• Nearly every week, I hear something about bird flu on the news. What exactly is it?
• Can people get Avian Influenza?
  
• If Avian Influenza is mostly confined to birds, why worry about a pandemic?
• Is there a vaccine for Avian Influenza?
• What is Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network doing to prepare for any potential pandemic?
• Do I need to take any precautions to protect my family now?

Nearly every week, I hear something about bird flu on the news. What exactly is it?

It’s a virus that lives in the intestinal tracts of wild birds, including geese and ducks. They have developed immunity to it over many decades. Domesticated birds do not have that immunity, so when they are infected by contact with wild birds, they get sick and die from some strains of bird flu.

The present strain of Avian Influenza (also known as bird flu) crossed from birds to humans in Hong Kong in 1997; since then the virus (called H5N1 because of the two proteins that appear on its surface) has spread across Asia, the Middle East, Europe and parts of Africa. You’ll continue to hear more about Avian Flu since health researchers who study disease trends in large populations (epidemiologists) are concerned that it will start a global outbreak (called a pandemic). Right now, Avian Influenza’s victims are mostly domesticated chickens and ducks.

In the early 1980’s, Pennsylvania had an outbreak of a different strain of Avian Influenza among domestic chicken flocks. No humans were infected. The infected animals were destroyed, and the virus has not returned to our area since then.

Can people get Avian Influenza?

Yes, if they have contact with infected birds. However, only about 200 people have contracted it worldwide so far. The virus usually affects the lungs, and the mortality rate is about 50 percent. Because most people in the United States do not have chickens in their backyards anymore, the risk for contracting it is less here than in countries with large rural populations. Also, the new, more virulent version of the virus – H5N1 – has not yet been found in the United States.

If Avian Influenza is mostly confined to birds, why worry about a pandemic?

The concern is that the virus will mutate into one that can spread quickly among people. Because Avian Influenza is a new virus for humans, none of the immunity we have built up through contact with other flu viruses is going to help. No one knows for sure if or when a pandemic might happen, but based on the behavior of the three viruses which caused pandemics in the 20th century, most epidemiologists feel it may occur in the near future. The concern is that the virus will spread quickly around the globe, jumping from continent to continent by people traveling on airplanes.

Is there a vaccine for Avian Influenza?

Researchers are working now on developing several vaccines, but they are still in the trial stage. The drug Tamiflu (oseltamivir) has been shown to be effective against some strains of Avian Influenza. The World Health Organization favors using Tamiflu during a pandemic. However, because the virus can mutate, neither the vaccines being developed nor Tamiflu may be effective.

What is Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network doing to prepare for any potential pandemic?

Preparedness is critical in any such situation, and we are already working on an action plan. Treating patients is our first priority, of course, but we are also focused on preventing infection among our health care professionals. If doctors and nurses contract Avian Influenza, the whole system will soon become overwhelmed because fewer people will be available to treat patients. Our third focus is safeguarding hospital patients being treated for other conditions.

We are working with Lehigh County health officials on organizing a local rapid diagnostic facility. Once we’re certain we are dealing with the beginning of a pandemic, we will advise the media to broadcast symptoms to look for and procedures to follow. We have begun stockpiling masks and gowns for the protection of health care workers, and we’ve requested vaccine and Tamiflu when supplies become available. We will have special areas in the hospital for patients to come for diagnosis, so they will not infect people in the emergency room or doctors’ offices. We will also have isolation wards for people who need hospitalization. Because communication will be important during a crisis, we are already working to develop a communication network among all the health facilities in the area so we can release clear, coordinated messages.

Do I need to take any precautions to protect my family now?

I strongly advise people to stay away from any bird that looks sick, and all wild birds in general. Tell your children not to pick up any sick bird they find in the woods or backyard. It is possible to get infected from bird excrement and even the dust in the feathers. Because most of our poultry is raised indoors, contact with virus-carrying wild birds is unlikely. Proper cooking of chicken and turkey destroys the virus, so you can safely eat poultry. Keep apprised of the latest developments by using reliable resources like PA Pandemic Preparedness, www.pandemicflu.gov or other government Web sites. Be especially careful about unproven products sold on the internet to prevent Avian Influenza.

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