The flu story officially began back in 1997, in China, when the media raised panic around the world, reporting a sick person. Six years later, chicken flu was found in Asia and Europe. A new wave of panic caused a sharp decline in poultry exports and their consumption. The panic was caused by a high percentage of the probability of a fatal outcome when a person was infected, because at the time of the outbreak, knowledge about this disease was negligible.
The virus, with a short formula H5N1 that does not tell a simple person (or, more simply, bird flu), is a type A flu. It affects birds, mostly wild birds, but is not averse to settling in domestic birds. Timely diagnosis of it is very difficult, since it manifests itself either sluggishly or not at all. Mortality among birds is low.
The incubation period also caused certain difficulties in diagnosing - the H5N1 virus could appear only after two weeks (or even more) from the moment of infection.
The main factor of infection was, of course, a sick bird. Transmission paths vary from direct contact to elementary airborne droplets. The absence of large areas affected by this virus today does not mean at all that the bird flu disease has been eradicated. The virus is circulating among birds and now, which means that the risk of human infection remains.
It is impossible to make a diagnosis on your own, as the symptoms of bird flu are very, very diverse and can often indicate another disease. The first thing they pay attention to is whether there are H5N1 foci in the patient’s region of residence. Bird flu is indicated by fever, nasal congestion, heavy, labored breathing. At first (the first days) there may be diarrhea without blood impurities. The symptoms of bird flu include nausea and vomiting. The person is shivering, there is a strong weakness, muscle pain. The temperature rises to critical, at which the blood coagulates and death is inevitable.
Avian influenza is now not included in the category of mass epidemic, but it cannot be ruled out during diagnosis, since any bird can bring the virus even thousands of kilometers away at any time.
Your analysis of the situation will help in the diagnosis. When contacting a doctor for help, report whether you have had contact with birds, especially if you have already documented cases in your area. Do not refuse hospitalization, even if the diagnosis has not yet been confirmed. Avian influenza can be treated poorly, and self-treatment is generally impossible.
Preventive measures only slightly reduce the risk of the disease, but do not exclude it at all. Isolation of the sick is crucial. This applies to both birds and people. At risk are all those who had contact with the source of infection, including doctors.
To increase resistance, Algirem, Arbidol, and Remantadine are recommended. But remember: these drugs are used for prevention, for treatment they are supplemented with other, more powerful means.
Avian influenza is treated permanently. The patient is placed in an isolated ward and discharged a week after normalization of temperature (not earlier). Medical luminaries are still arguing about treatment methods, but the introduction of Tamiflu-type antiviral drugs has already shown positive results. Arbidol is also included in the category of effective drugs, the dosage of which doubles in the first days. It is appropriate to use drugs of the adamant group (for example, Algirem or Remantadine drugs).
The strict isolation of the patient is really extremely important. Avian influenza spreads quickly and easily. Mortality, according to medical statistics, is 60% of all cases of the disease. Given the long incubation periods and such blurry symptoms, and hence the difficulty in diagnosing, it is difficult to even imagine what scale the consequences could be if the H5N1 virus were released. By the way, according to unconfirmed reports, this virus, having settled in the human body, mutates, "adapting" to new conditions ...