Recently, many types of flu have popped up in the media – seasonal flu, avian flu, pandemic flu.  Do you know the difference?  Are they the same?  Why should you care?  The information and links below answer these questions and many more.

Avian Flu

Avian flu is a type of flu virus that naturally occurs among birds.  H5N1 is one strain of the avian flu virus currently receiving a lot of attention in the media.  This virus is firmly entrenched in bird populations in many parts of Asia, as well as some areas of Africa and Europe.  H5N1 has caused death in over 50% of the human cases; however, there is currently no sustainable spread of the disease from person to person.  All human cases had close contact with infected birds.  At the present time, there are no infected birds or human cases with this type of H5N1 virus in the United States, but the spread of illness is possible due to migratory birds and illegal bird trade.  Now is the time to prepare!

·        Illinois Department of Public Health – Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)

·        Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)

·       U.S. Department of Agriculture – Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)

·        Yale New Haven Center for Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response – Avian Influenza