Bird flu or influenza A (H5N1) is a subtype of the type A influenza virus. Symptoms of bird flu infection in humans depend on the particular strain of virus.
Bird to human transmission was first documented in 1997 in Hong Kong.
In case of the H5N1 virus, symptoms ranged from classic flulike symptoms which might include headache, malaise, dry or productive cough, sore throat, fever greater than 38 °C, runny nose, difficulty breathing, diarrhea and muscle aches to eye infections, pneumonia, severe respiratory diseases, viral pneumonia, Acute Respiratory Syndrome, multi organ failure and other severe and life threatening.
These symptoms generally become more severe fairly rapidly. H5N1 seems to replicate more rapidly and attacks the lungs more aggressively than seasonal flu.
If the patient is on an advance stage with marked involvement of the respiratory start with manifestations of acute respiratory disease syndrome, the terminal lung failure conditions, the chances of recovery are less even with the best possible treatment.
Bird flu symptoms
