Bird Flu Uncovered: The Silent Threat Lurking in Our Backyards and How You Can Outsmart It Today
How Did Bird Flu Emerge?
More than a century ago, researchers confirmed the first outbreak of a particularly lethal form of avian influenza that they called “fowl plague.” Plague comes from the Greek word meaning “blow” or “strike.” Later, the name “fowl plague” was abandoned and replaced by “highly pathogenic avian influenza” or HPAI.
Domesticated poultry can also become infected with a low-grade influenza, so-called low pathogenic avian influenza, or LPAI, which may cause a few ruffled feathers and a drop in egg production. Influenza viruses with H5 or H7 spikes, however, are able to mutate into the high-grade variety that can cause devastating illness among the birds. Webster’s term for H5 and H7 strains of flu says it all: “the nasty bastards.” And you don’t get nastier than H5.
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