Overview
Avian influenza, or bird flu, is the name for a certain strain of the influenza virus that is usually found only in birds but may occasionally be transmitted to humans, sometimes causing a serious illness.
Avian influenza tends to be carried by wild birds, which are not usually symptomatic from the virus, and passed to domestic birds, such as chickens, turkeys, and ducks. Domestic birds tend to get either a very mild illness with few symptoms or a very serious illness causing death within days. The virus is very contagious among birds and is transmitted via their respiratory secretions, saliva, and feces. Humans can acquire the virus through contact with infected birds or contaminated surfaces, such as chicken coops and cages. The virus is not thought to be contagious from person to person. The virus is not passed to humans through undercooked poultry meat or eggs.
In the world today, there are occasional outbreaks of avian flu in birds, mostly in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Near East. These outbreaks are usually confined to birds, but humans can become sick and have died from avian flu. The US government monitors the progress of avian flu very carefully because of the potential for human infection. If the avian flu were to create an epidemic of human illness, it would be very difficult to contain and treat it, as one of the unusual properties of both the human and avian influenza is the ability to change quickly.
