A Potential Avian Influenza Pandemic

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A Potential Avian Influenza Pandemic

Avian influenza could potentially be the world's next pandemic. The virus that causes this disease can be transmitted to other birds and humans by bird secretions. Bird migrations, as well as today?s instant worldwide transportation, can spread the avian influenza virus at amazing speeds. The government would face a disease that could wipe out millions of people. Meanwhile, the economy would crash as money is spent eradicating the disease from the country. Poultry farmers would have to cull their birds to minimize the risk of spreading the virus. Perhaps the greatest concern about avian influenza is its potential to not only infect and kill many people, but to be used as a bioterrorism weapon.

Avian influenza is rapidly becoming a great concern to health officials worldwide. The pathogen responsible for this disease is the avian influenza virus from the Orthomyxoviridae family. (University of Maryland, 2005) The H5N1 subtype, however, could potentially cause the most harm. Viruses are typically found in their natural reservoir, the bodies of wild fowl, although they do not always cause symptoms or illness in the birds. These viruses can be transmitted by various means to other birds and, as of 1997, humans. The 1997 outbreak in Hong Kong was the first time the avian influenza virus was noted to skip from bird to human. (CBC, 2005) Since then, health officials are becoming increasingly concerned with what avian influenza could mean in the near future. If an avian influenza pandemic were to occur, the government would face a deadly disease that would kill much of the population. There would be a catastrophic effect on the economy as the government must spend millions to eradicate disease and ...

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International Herald Tribune. (2005, July). A flu nightmare. The IHT Online. July 15, 2005: http://www.iht.com/bin/print_ipub.php?file=/articles/2005/07/14/opinio n/edfllu.php

Marwaan Macan-Markar. (2005, March) Bird flu to shake up Asian society. Asian Times. July 19, 2005: http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/ GC01Ae01.html

Stephen Smith. (2005, July) Avian flu found in migrating geese in China. The Boston Globe. July 15, 2005: http://www.boston.com/yourlife/health/diseases/arti cles/2005/07/07/avian_flu_found_in_migrating_geese_in_china/

University of Maryland. (2005. n/a) Avian Influenza Virus. Avian Influenza Virus Program. July 25, 2005: http://www.agnr.umd.edu/avianflu/

World Health Organization. (2004, January) Avian Influenza- fact sheet. World Health Organization. July 25, 2005: http://www.who.int/csr/don/2004_01_15/e

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