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Bird Flu

"Are We at Risk of Getting the Bird Flu?

Believe it or not, birds just like human get the flu too.  And the bird flu is not limited to one type of bird -- the affect chickens and poultry to wild birds such as ducks.  Most bird flu viruses can only infect birds -- but be aware, that the bird flu can have an impact on humans as well. 

The first case where the bird flu infected a human was in Hong Kong in 1997 -- since cases in humans have sprung up in Asia, Africa, and Europe. 

Human infection is still fairly rare, but the bird flu may mutate into a strain of the flu that can continue to harm humans.  Unfortunately the bird flu can still lead to a human pandemic or a widespread outbreak. 

During said outbreak of the bird flu, people who come into contact with infected birds run a higher risk of becoming sick.  In some cases it may become popular to catch thebird flu by eating poultry if it is not well cooked.  The bird flu is capable f making people very sick even to the point of death, and to make matters worse there is no current vaccine to prevent againstbird flu.

If there is an antigenic shift in the bird flu virus, humans will become even more of a target for contracting the bird flu. Because we do not have an antigenic strain of immunity to the bird flu it will be easier for humans to contract the bird flu.

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