Outlining The Differences Between Bird Flu And Human Flu
September 7th, 2008

The bird flu can be deadly to birds and humans, because the virus is able to infect both. This virus differs from the human flu virus in many ways. Although the human flu virus is serious condition in humans, it can be vaccinated, and it is not usually fatal. On the other hand, the avian flu can be a very serious condition for many humans. Many people have come to believe that the bird flu and human flu are the same things. However, with the threat of a flu pandemic it is important that humans know the differences between the two. The first difference between bird flu and human flu begins with how it infects people. When the bird flu infects a person, the virus is more concentrated in the throat than the nose, which is the complete opposite of the human flu. This difference can help doctors more quickly diagnose an instance of bird flu in a human being.

The bird flu also replicates to higher levels in comparison with the human flu. The avian flu replicates to higher levels in the respiratory system, which ignites an intense inflammatory response. When inflammation occurs, the body’s immune system causes blood vessels to allow chemical and blood cells to leak into an infected area, which are designed to attack the infection. However, an over response can have the adverse effect in a human being. The direct effect of the avian flu virus and the effect of an intense inflammatory response can cause damage to the lungs and other organs. If the virus enters the bloodstream, it is likely to cause death. High levels of the virus in the lungs, which causes death, may cause the presence of the virus in the bloodstream. However, this does not usually occur in human flu cases.

Avian influenza and human influenza are both caused by influenza viruses. However, influenza A (H3N2), influenza A (H1N1) and influenza B viruses commonly cause human influenza. On the other hand, influenza A (H5N1) and influenza A (H9N2) viruses most commonly cause the bird flu. The most obvious difference between the human flu and bird flu is that the bird flu may be deadly to humans. Although humans have died in the past of influenza, vaccines and human immunity have made death from the human influenza very rare. However, the bird flu has been known to kill nearly half of its human victims. Humans don’t have immunity against the powerful avian flu, so they are more susceptible to death. There are also known vaccines to help humans defend against a bird flu infection. Humans are able to get yearly flu shots that successfully vaccinate the human flu, but there are currently no available deterrents of avian flu infection.

The human flu is also able to spread from human-to-human, but the bird flu is yet to be spread in such a way. The spreading of bird flu through human-to-human contact has the potential to cause a pandemic throughout the world. The avian flu can only be spread from animals to humans, and infection usually occurs in humans that are in close proximity of infected poultry. There are also certain symptoms of the bird flu that are unique to the occurrence of the virus. Some of the unique symptoms of bird flu, include conjunctivitis (eye-infections) and pneumonia. These symptoms are not a clear sign of the bird flu, but they will not occur if a human flu virus is present. Avian influenza and human influenza also require different care and attention. An avian influenza virus usually requires hospitalization, whereas the human flu can be treated at home without constant monitoring. There are many differences between the human flu and bird flu, but they can both be very serious illnesses for humans.

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