Most of us are familiar with the flu. Every year, you probably
go to your doctor to get a flu shot, or perhaps you take your
chances with the virus and just hope you do not end up in bed.
However, the new bird flu that has made so much news lately is
considerably different than the regular flu we are accustomed to
dealing with.
The regular flu has a myriad of symptoms, including fever,
cough, sore throat, headache, body aches, fatigue, nasal
congestion, and sneezing. Many people will recover from the
virus within a couple of weeks; however, others will develop
pneumonia, bronchitis, or other life-threatening complications.
Chronic disorders are also sometimes aggravated by the flu,
causing complications as well. Although such complications are
possible, they usually do not lead to death unless the carrier
is already in poor health. Healthy people may suffer with the
flu, but will rarely have any lasting effects or die as a result
of contracting the virus.
Bird flu, on the other hand, is a very different ailment. There
are actually several strands of avian influenza, also known as
bird flu. Many of the various kinds are not harmful to humans;
however, one in particular has caused a great deal of
controversy recently. H5N1 is a strand of bird flu that has
arisen in Asia, which has resulted in the death of over half of
the people that contracted it.
The two viruses are similar in that they are both influenza
viruses. They also show similar symptoms of fever, cough, sore
throat, etc., as detailed above. The primary difference in the
two strands is the impact of the illness on humans that contract
it. The regular flu is usually only lethal to those in very poor
health, while the bird flu takes the lives of almost all that
become infected.
Another difference is how the viruses are spread. The regular
flu virus is usually transmitted in droplets of saliva and mucus
as infected people sneeze or touch objects that other people
later come in contact with. However, avian influenza is not
passed from human to human, but through direct contact with
infected fowl or their feces.
The regular flu is common in the United States, as is the
vaccine. However, the bird flu is currently only being
identified in Asia. Although many people think within a short
period of time it will spread worldwide.
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