Avian influenza, also known as bird flu, is an acute infectious disease caused by avian influenza viruses (H5N1, H7N9, etc.), which mainly infects birds, including poultry (such as chickens, ducks, geese, etc.) and wild birds.
The avian influenza virus not only poses a huge threat to poultry but can also cause the death of a large number of poultry in severe cases. It may also spread across species to humans and even cause a large-scale public health crisis. Therefore, understanding the transmission routes of avian influenza and taking effective preventive measures, especially animal vaccination, are the key to controlling the epidemic.
This article will explore how avian influenza is transmitted and how to prevent the spread of the disease, and help farmers and the public understand the role of vaccines and vaccination recommendations.
How is bird flu spread? Spreading of the Flu
The transmission of avian influenza virus is very complex and mainly spreads through the following ways:
Direct contact transmission
Avian influenza virus mainly exists in the body fluids of infected birds (such as saliva, feces, and eye and nasal secretions). If healthy birds come into contact with these virus-carrying objects or secretions of infected birds, they are easily infected. For example, pecking at each other and touching feces between birds may become transmission routes.
Airborne transmission
When sick birds cough or sneeze, the virus may spread into the air in the form of droplets. If other birds inhale the air containing the virus, they will be infected with avian influenza. Therefore, airborne transmission is also an important way for avian influenza virus to spread, especially in dense breeding environments.
Indirect transmission
In addition to direct contact, avian influenza can also be transmitted indirectly through contaminated objects. Feed, water fountains, transportation tools, clothing and shoes of staff, etc. may become the transmission medium of the virus, especially in breeding farms, where the virus can spread rapidly.
Wild bird migration and transmission
Wild birds are important transmitters of avian influenza virus. During migration, they may carry the virus across multiple regions, causing the virus to spread across regions. Wild birds migrate all the time, so they are “invisible transmitters” of avian influenza virus.
Symptoms and Dangers of Avian Flu in Birds
The symptoms of avian influenza vary between different birds, especially the virus strains and the infected bird species, and the symptoms are also different. Usually, birds infected with avian influenza will show some of the following symptoms:
- Acute death: Highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (such as H5N1, H7N9, etc.) often show acute death, and may die before symptoms appear.
- Respiratory system symptoms: such as coughing, sneezing, shortness of breath, etc.
- Digestive system symptoms: such as diarrhea, loss of appetite, weight loss, etc.
- Nervous system symptoms: such as paralysis, tilted head, closed eyelids, etc.
- Systemic symptoms: such as fluffy feathers, hair loss, dehydration, etc.
For poultry, the harm of avian influenza is huge. Many birds infected with avian influenza will die from worsening of the disease, especially when infected with highly pathogenic virus strains, the mortality rate is often close to 100%.
Impact of avian influenza on humans
The spread of avian influenza to humans is mainly through direct contact with poultry or poultry products (such as uncooked meat, eggs, etc.). Avian influenza viruses are usually not transmitted from person to person, but some virus strains, such as H5N1, H7N9, etc., have the potential to spread across species, which means they have the potential to infect humans and cause a flu pandemic. After humans are infected with avian influenza, symptoms may include:
- Fever, cough, sore throat, muscle pain and other flu-like symptoms.
- In severe cases, it can cause pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), multiple organ failure, and even death.
Although there are relatively few cases of human infection with avian influenza, when an epidemic occurs, its public health risks cannot be ignored.
How to prevent avian influenza?
Strengthen avian influenza vaccination
Vaccination of poultry against avian influenza is an important measure to prevent avian influenza. Vaccination can effectively improve the immunity of poultry and reduce the risk of virus infection and transmission.
Improve breeding management
During poultry breeding, regularly clean and disinfect the breeding environment, utensils, tableware, etc. to reduce the survival and spread of the virus. Keep the poultry house clean and prevent wild birds from entering the breeding area. Breeders should pay attention to personal protection. When handling poultry, they should wear protective clothing, gloves and masks to avoid direct skin contact with poultry and their secretions.
Strengthen monitoring and early reporting of epidemics
During the peak period of the epidemic, avian influenza monitoring should be strengthened, the disease should be discovered in time, and control measures such as isolation and culling should be taken to prevent the spread of the virus.
Strengthen public health education
Improve public awareness of avian influenza, especially how to prevent human infection, and educate people to avoid eating uncooked poultry meat and eggs. At the same time, avoid eating poultry food of unknown origin or uninspected. And strengthen personal hygiene, wash hands frequently, avoid contact with wild birds, etc.
Vaccination
Animal vaccines are one of the important tools to prevent animals from being infected with the avian influenza virus. By vaccinating against the avian influenza virus, animals can produce an immune response to the virus, thereby protecting them from the virus. Vaccination against avian influenza can protect poultry from viral infection, which not only helps to reduce animal deaths but also ensures the safety of poultry meat and eggs, reduces the risk of food contamination, and protects the health of consumers.
Currently, the types of animal vaccines used for avian influenza prevention and control mainly include inactivated vaccines, recombinant vaccines, live vaccines, etc. (We WIXBIO provide AI H9N2 vaccines and combined vaccines such as ND-AI-IBD, etc.)
Summary
Avian influenza is a highly harmful infectious disease with complex and rapid transmission pathways. Vaccination with avian influenza vaccine can not only improve the immunity of animals and reduce the spread of the virus, but also effectively ensure food safety. Although the transmission pathways of avian influenza are complex, scientific preventive measures and vaccination can effectively reduce the risk of virus transmission. The breeding industry and the public should remain vigilant and take necessary prevention and control measures to ensure the health and safety of humans and poultry.
