What Are the Symptoms of Bird Flu?

It’s the season for sniffles and sore throats, which implies that scientists are monitoring the standard suspects like influenza, RSV, and COVID-19. However they’re additionally watching one other virus this winter: H5N1 avian influenza, or chook flu.

U.S. well being companies say that the virus at present poses a low danger to most people, although it’s spreading broadly amongst chickens, cows, and different animals. There have been 55 confirmed human circumstances within the U.S., in keeping with the most recent statistics from the U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC), and all however two of these folks had been uncovered to sick poultry or cattle. There may be at present no proof that the individuals who have gotten sick have contaminated different folks, in keeping with the CDC.

Nonetheless, researchers are monitoring the virus in case that scenario adjustments. Not too long ago, a young person in Canada was hospitalized after being contaminated with chook flu—and when researchers analyzed the genetic sequence of the virus that sickened the teenager, they reportedly discovered that it had undergone mutations that would enable it to unfold extra simply amongst people. The person doesn’t appear to have contaminated anybody else, however the findings underscore the chance that chook flu might someday change into a much bigger danger to most people.

Proper now, consultants say there’s not a lot for the common particular person to fret about. (Simply don’t drink uncooked milk, which might harbor the virus, and don’t contact animals which might be useless or seem like sick.) In case you’re curious in regards to the indicators and signs of chook flu, although, right here’s what to know.

What are the signs of chook flu?

Lots of the folks within the U.S. who’ve caught chook flu have reported conjunctivitis-like eye points, together with eye redness, discomfort, and discharge. That appears to be as a result of the virus can goal cells within the human eye. Farm employees who’ve been sickened on the job might have additionally been eye-level with contaminated animals.

Hen flu may also trigger respiratory and basic flu-like signs, together with cough, runny nostril, fever, sore throat, physique aches, complications, fatigue, shortness of breath, and pneumonia, the CDC says. Some folks within the U.S. who’ve caught chook flu have skilled respiratory signs as properly.

How are you going to inform the distinction between chook flu and common flu?

Hen flu and seasonal flu can look related—however when you develop flu-like signs, likelihood is superb that it’s simply the common flu or one other routine winter sickness. There isn’t a indication that chook flu is spreading among the many normal U.S. inhabitants, the CDC says.

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Hen flu may be recognized by testing samples taken from a sick particular person’s nostril, throat, or eye, however testing is primarily really useful for individuals who have signs and have been lately uncovered to animals that could be sick.

Is chook flu critical?

The small variety of circumstances reported within the U.S. have to this point been gentle, with none requiring hospitalization. However chook flu may be critical. The contaminated teenager in Canada, for instance, was hospitalized and in important situation.

Folks have additionally died throughout earlier chook flu outbreaks. From January 2003 to November 2024, greater than 900 human H5N1 circumstances had been recorded in 24 nations, and about half of them had been deadly, in keeping with World Well being Group statistics. However these figures seemingly miss folks with milder, probably undetected sicknesses. It’s also unclear how lethal the virus could be if it developed to unfold broadly from person-to-person, which by no means occurred in these previous outbreaks.

Are chook flu vaccines accessible?

Some firms make vaccines that can be utilized in opposition to chook flu, and the U.S. authorities lately distributed $72 million to make sure doses of those vaccines may be made accessible shortly if needed.

However don’t look forward to finding chook flu vaccines at your native pharmacy; they’re not accessible to the general public proper now. As an alternative, concentrate on getting your common flu shot when you haven’t already. It received’t work in opposition to chook flu, however it will probably assist shield you in opposition to the virus you’re way more prone to encounter this season.