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Avian Influenza
Avian Influenza -- or bird flu, is decimating poultry in Asia and some
of Eastern Europe and infecting migratory birds. The disease first appeared
in 1997 with the first human case reported in 2003. Since then more than
130 people in Southeast Asia who worked closely with poultry have caught
the disease. About half of those have died.
No cases of the virulent H5N1 flu type have been found in the Western
hemisphere either in birds or people, although related, non-deadly flu
strains have been found in two wild ducks and a couple domestic ducks
in Canada. However, world health officials warn the threat of disease
could worsen worldwide if the flu mutates into a type that can pass from
person-to-person.
The danger to people and poultry in the United States currently is minimal,
according to Purdue University experts. The configuration of the country’s
poultry farms offers built-in protection from a mass outbreak among chickens,
ducks and other fowl.
In efforts to protect people from the flu, Purdue researchers are developing
a new type of vaccine designed to be easier and faster to produce, and
to have broader effectiveness against the changing makeup of the virus.
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