Common Symptoms To Look For If You Suspect Avian Flu
November 23rd, 2008

Avian flu has become very common in humans in the past few years. Many infected humans may be unaware of their illness, because most of the symptoms of avian flu are the same as the human flu. The symptoms of avian flu can be sudden, and there’s no easy way to distinguish between avian and human flu. The most common symptoms of bird flu include fever, chills, muscle aches and pains, sweating, sore throat, nasal congestion, dry cough, headache, fatigue and malaise. The virus is deposited into the respiratory tract, but signs and symptoms can be observed and detected throughout the body. People suffering from the bird flu usually encounter an abrupt onset of symptoms.

Some people suffering from this virus may have the feeling of being pinned down during the initial hours of rapidly appearing symptoms. This usually occurs within two to four days of incubation. Infected people usually experience a high fever on the first day, but the fever usually subsides on the second and third day. If a person is suffering from a severe case of avian influenza, then the fever may spike on the third and fourth day. Infected persons may also develop chills, headaches and sweating before or accompanying the fever. A sore throat is another common symptom of the bird flu, which is usually described as a burning sensation by many patients.

A dry cough also develops at the onset of the illness. Sub-sternal soreness, photophobia, and ocular problems are also symptoms of this influenza virus. When severe sub-sternal problems occur, it usually points toward the primary involvement of the trachea. Some other symptoms of the virus are prolonged fatigue, weakness, diarrhea and nausea. When malaise occurs, it is usually severe and persistent. It is also possible for myalgia to occur, which usually occurs in the back and the extremities, and is related to the severity of the fever. The constitutional symptoms of avian flu will be more severe in the beginning, and will slowly be overtaken by respiratory symptoms. Nausea and diarrhea symptoms will be more severe and will occur more frequently in virus cases of children. Children’s maximum temperature may also be higher than adults, which can indicate febrile convulsions.

Other symptoms of avian flu also include eye infections (conjunctivitis), severe pneumonia, viral pneumonia, acute respiratory disorder and other complications. The symptoms of avian flu may often depend on what type of virus caused the infection. The symptoms of bird flu will usually persist as the human symptoms of the human flu persist. The symptoms will usually persist for four to five days, and most patients must be hospitalized for their infections. If there is a possibility that someone has the bird flu, they should consult a doctor as soon as the symptoms occur. Most bird flu patients recover, but there are many patients that do not survive the deadly H5N1 virus. There are many forms of the avian flu virus, and their symptoms may vary, but the symptoms of human flu are usually evident in all of the viruses.

Patients can recover from some forms of the bird flu, by being under constant care and taking antibiotics. However, there is not a combative drug to prevent the disease. If the avian flu becomes a pandemic, humans will most likely not have immunity to fight off the fatal effect of the disease. There is not a vaccine to protect humans from the pandemic avian influenza virus, because the pandemic has not fully developed. Humans may contract the disease, but it cannot be spread from human-to-human. However, an effort to find a vaccine for the avian flu pandemic has started in countries, such as America and Asia.

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