I am interested in seeing what the avian influenza (bird flu) looks like in humans, can anyone help me?

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What does the person looks like with having the the bird flu. I have looked all over on the internet and I have found no pictures of a human.
Is there any pictures that I can look at on the internet.
What do you mean by "looks like"??? Do you mean what a person sick with Avian flu looks like or what the virus looks like?????????????  (+ info)

What are the symptomatic differences between a common cold and influenza?

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Years ago, my husband and I both had influenza, and we ran very high fevers for a little over a week. However, we've been told that influenza symptoms can vary. My husband just got sick, he only ran a little fever, but he went straight to having a bad cough. Could he have influenza, or does he just have yet another winter cold?
Influenza causes a higher fever more body aches. Usually a cough but not a runny nose.  (+ info)

What is the difference between Influenza and common cold?

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I cannot figure it out.

Also the second part of the question is, is influenza infection called a flu?
For one, it is caused by a different virus.

If you have the flu, you tend to have a fever, your joints tend to ache, and you often feel weak. If you have a cold, then you do NOT have a fever, and you normally do not feel any different.

Both give you a stuffy, runny nose, however.

===edit===
Influenza, commonly known as flu, is an infectious disease of birds and mammals caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae (the influenza viruses). The name influenza comes from the Italian: influenza, meaning "influence", (Latin: influentia). In humans, common symptoms of the disease are the chills, then fever, sore throat, muscle pains, severe headache, coughing, weakness and general discomfort. In more serious cases, influenza causes pneumonia, which can be fatal, particularly in young children and the elderly. Although it is sometimes confused with the common cold, influenza is a much more severe disease and is caused by a different type of virus....

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Acute viral nasopharyngitis, or acute coryza, usually known as the common cold, is a highly contagious, viral infectious disease of the upper respiratory system, primarily caused by picornaviruses (including rhinoviruses) or coronaviruses.

Common symptoms are sore throat, runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing and cough; sometimes accompanied by 'pink eye', muscle aches, fatigue, malaise, headaches, muscle weakness, and/or loss of appetite. Fever and extreme exhaustion are more usual in influenza....  (+ info)

What are the best precautions to take to avoid contracting swine influenza?

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Given the fact that the virus is spreading globally, as a normal citizen living an average live, what are the absolute best precautions to take to avoid contracting swine influenza?

In addition, is there any more information on how it affects those with good normal immune systems? Would boosting the immune system with specific vitamins and minerals be a good idea or could it possibly increase the chance of a negative outcome should you contract the virus?
I have decided to take a strong immune boosting vitamin. Is this wise?
http://swineflupreparedness.com has info from government & world health authorities.  (+ info)

How does Bird Flu virus spread from birds to animals, especially humans?

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With the recent discovery of bird flu infection in west bengal, india, it has become an apparent threat to everybody in india. So for awareness's sake i want to know what are all the means and i mean all the possible means if infection from birds to human.
How humans get bird flu
Avian viruses generally don't affect humans, but in 1997, an outbreak of bird flu in Hong Kong infected 18 people, six of whom died. Since then, human cases of bird flu have been reported in Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Most were traced to contact with infected poultry or surfaces contaminated by sick birds.

Often, flu viruses that cross the species barrier originate in areas where people live in close proximity to chickens and pigs. That's because pigs are susceptible to infection with both avian and human viruses and so are an ideal "mixing bowl" for genes.

But at least some bird flu viruses don't need a third party. Instead, they shuffle and rearrange their genetic material directly in humans. That seems to be the case in most instances of human-acquired bird flu. People become sick after direct contact with infected birds or bird-contaminated surfaces, not from contact with other animals.

Direct bird-to-human transmission works like this:

Wild birds shed the virus. Infected migratory waterfowl, the natural carriers of bird flu viruses, shed the virus in their droppings, saliva and nasal secretions.
The virus spreads to domesticated birds. Domestic poultry become infected from contact with these birds or with contaminated water, feed or soil. Bird flu spreads quickly within a domestic flock and is inadvertently transported from farm to farm on equipment, cages, and workers' shoes and clothing. Heat destroys the virus, but it can survive for extended periods in cool temperatures.
Markets provide pathways to humans. Open-air markets, where eggs and birds are sold in crowded and unsanitary conditions, are hotbeds of infection and spread the disease into the wider community. At any point along the way, humans may pick up the virus through close contact with sick birds or contaminated surfaces. An ailing bird can shed the virus in its feathers as well as in droppings, and some people have contracted bird flu simply by touching an infected bird.
The ease of worldwide travel has the potential to spread bird flu around the globe. And migratory birds can carry the virus from continent to continent along flyways. Outbreaks may also spread locally through unsanitary markets, contaminated clothing and equipment, and smuggled birds.


The greatest risk factor for bird flu seems to be contact with sick birds or with surfaces contaminated by their feathers, saliva or droppings. The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed a handful of cases of limited human-to-human transmission of bird flu. But unless the virus begins to spread more easily among people, infected birds or associated material presents the greatest hazard.

The pattern of human transmission remains mysterious. Young children seem especially vulnerable to the virus, although some experts note that children are more likely to have contact with sick birds or to play on ground contaminated with droppings. What's more, people of all ages have contracted and died of bird flu. At this point, too few people have been infected to know all the possible risk factors for bird flu. Sorry this was so long. =S  (+ info)

How many influenza infections can a person get a year?

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It seems that one could get as many as 8 common cold infections a year but how many times can you get influenza?
You shouldn't get the same 'strand' of influenza more then once. If your immune system is working properly, it would learn how to fight that strand and offer immediate protection if it comes again..

The only problem is that there are many different strands of the flu and getting one version of it will not necessarily make you immune to another.  (+ info)

What makes birds and fish lesser than other animals?

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I used to be a waitress nad wanted to know the answer to this for a long time:

So, I've had a vegitarian tell me they can't eat the soup because there's beef/pork in it, but they'd like to order the main dish of chicken/fish. Isn't it still meat? It used to be alive, think, breathe and feel pain just like any other animal, right?

I remember being told it's because birds and fish aren't as smart as a cow--but then found out that ravens are as smart as some chimps. Not only do they use tools to get food, but are also observed making tools. Only humans, ravens, and simians do this, it's part of higher intelligence.

So is eating fish and bird but claiming to be a vegitarian legitimate? Or am I missing something, maybe there are two types of vegitarians?
pSyche--interesting, I knew there had to be some kind of basis.
For psyche there is only one type of vegetarian - a person who doesn't eat meat. Birds are meat, fish is meat.

People trying to be different, and stand out, may call themselves vegetarian, but still eat meat (whether it be chicken or trout). They are not vegetarians, they are posers.

Why do people consider them lesser beings, because religion, the original "science" deemed it so many hundreds of years ago. Look at Thomas Aquinas, who stole his writings from Aristotle, who both believed animals could feel no pain. Real Science has proven differently.

Crows, simians and humans are the only beings that have been scientifically witnessed making tools, my guess is that other animals do it also (maybe not all of them, but I believe some others do).  (+ info)

What is the name of the disease transmitted through birds?

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I believe they get it from contaminated water. The bird drinks the water and can spread the disease to other birds. I think that humans can possibly get it too.
Do you mean Psittacosis, Orithosis, Parrot fever?
Please see the webpages for more details on Psittacosis.  (+ info)

Is there a practice of drowning birds in alcohol in France?

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A friend told me that they was a (now frowned upon) practice of drowning the birds in some kind of alcohol to flavour them. This sounds like it could be true but I can't find any information about it anywhere. Help!
Yes it is true, its an age old way of eating a particularly small bird and has recently come under fire. Below is a link to the article explaining the history and recipe and why it is facing a ban as a custom.
http://www.ttc.org/cgi-binloc/searchTTC.cgi?displayZop+1029  (+ info)

How many strains of influenza are there?

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How many strains of influenza are there at any given time? Hundreds? Millions? How many strains have lived and died in the last decade?
Probably millions. Mutation is a fast process for viruses.  (+ info)

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