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Bird Flu And Your Personal Safety |
By:
Eng. Muath Daraghmeh |
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The world we live in today is not safer than the one known by
our parents and grandparents. If you've kept up with the news
lately, you've heard terrible warnings about bird flu. It's the
most serious known health threat the world is facing that has
swept through the world bird population.
There's never a total absence of risks in our lives. Risks are
voluntary actions and can be managed. Emergencies can be met and
handled, but it takes know-how and continuous awareness. What
you can't prevent, you can usually compensate for or protect
against. With alarm growing over the possibility of a bird flu
pandemic, we all must acknowledge the fact that we bear some of
the responsibility for making our environment safe and safety is
thinking about other people, too.
"Remember that we live on the same planet and our interests are
interconnected"
The following statements provide a summary of bird flu outbreaks:
* It's caused by the influenza A (H5N1) virus. * The infection
can occur through the inhalation of the material infected with
virus like cages, bird feeds, clothing, shoes of workers in
farms, and any contaminated equipment. * There is a greater risk
of getting bird flu while handling the infected bird or infected
eggs than eating these foods, as most cases of bird flu
infection in humans have resulted from direct or close contact
with infected poultry or surfaces contaminated with secretions
and excretions from infected birds. * Scientists believe that at
least some migratory waterfowl are now carrying the virus and
introducing the virus to poultry droves in areas that lie along
their migratory routes. * Within a country the disease spreads
easily from farm to farm. Even small quantities of bird
droppings carry a large load of the virus. * Bird flu can appear
within 1 - 5 days after contact with the infected material. * It
can pass from bird to bird, and from bird to human. No
noticeable evidence to confirm human-to-human transmission of
bird flu.The fear is that mutation of the virus will cause it to
be easily spread from person to person, since flu viruses can
change rapidly. * The symptoms of bird flu in humans have ranged
from standard flu-like symptoms such as fever, cough, sore
throat and muscle aches to eye infections and other
complications. * It has killed around 55% of the people it has
infected so far. * Humans have no immunity to it. * There is no
vaccine. Any new vaccine will be limited, not widely available.
* Antibiotics are useless against virus-caused flu. * It can be
contained through quarantine.
The best way to cut the risk of attack is by taking sensible
precautions. You are probably already aware of some of the
precautions listed below, but some may be new to you, and you
may find them useful. According to The US Department of
Agriculture; "Proper handling and cooking of poultry provides
further protection against this virus, as it does against many
viruses and bacteria, including Salmonella and E.coli. Safe food
handling and preparation is important at all times". Here is a
summary of USDA recommendations: * Wash hands with warm water
and soap for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food
(like fresh poultry and or eggs; * Prevent cross-contamination
by keeping raw meat, poultry, fish, and their juices away from
other foods; * After cutting raw meats, wash cutting board,
knife, and counter tops with hot, soapy water; * Sanitize
cutting boards by using a solution of 1 teaspoon chlorine bleach
in 1 quart of water; and * Use a food thermometer to ensure food
has reached the proper temperature. Cook whole birds to 180 °F;
breasts to 170 °F; drumsticks, thighs and wings to 180 °F;
ground turkey and chicken to 165º F; and a minimum oven
temperature of 325 °F.
To paraphrase ... If the food is well cooked, there is hardly
any risk of getting bird flu as no data suggest that the disease
can be transmitted to humans through properly cooked food (even
if contaminated with the virus prior to cooking). And in
general, frequent and thorough hand washing is to be observed to
avoid getting the disease during processing and cooking of
possibly infected poultry.
While your government will follow certain policy and procedures
to prepare for a pandemic, people action and people
responsibility are of vital importance for the success of any
plan to maximize our preparation So if there is an outbreak of
the bird flu virus, the solution is readily available if people
would just get the right information on flu prevention and
treatment with vaccines or other medical products. Knowledge is
POWER and we need to be prepared for an outbreak of bird flu.
Altogether, more than 50% of the confirmed cases have been
fatal. This kind of flu in humans is still a relatively rare
disease, but a very strict one that must be taken into
consideration and closely studied, because of the potential this
virus to evolve in ways that could cause a human pandemic.
You are welcome to use this article on your website WITH the
'Author's Resource Box' below included.
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Article Source: http://www.friendsofvista.org/articles/article29735.html |
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