avian influenza
Avian Influenza or better known as the ‘Bird Flu’ is an extremely infectious disease caused by a type A strain of the influenza virus. First identified in Italy a mere one hundred years ago, wild bird populations carry these normally non-lethal flu diseases worldwide in their intestines. However the virus has mutated into the most fatal strain of influenza virus, known as H5N1, which is the strain causing so much havoc in the world and especially China today. Outbreaks of the highly pathogenic strain began in Southeast Asia in mid-2003 and are the most severe on record. Infected birds pass on the virus through their saliva, nasal secretions and faeces. Consequently other birds pick up the disease through direct contact with the infected bird excretions or contaminated surfaces, and spread it throughout the world during flights of migration. In a short period of time this will ultimately cause a pandemic. Pandemics are such dreaded events as they can rapidly infect all countries and once the virus spreads internationally it is considered unstoppable. Countries in Asia and especially China are most at risk to the latest outbreak of H5N1 due to flight migration patterns of infected birds as seen in this map. Crowded factory farms and unhygienic conditions of backyard farming and urban informal marketing also contribute to the spread of H5N1. In a short period of time, the Bird Flu will have devastating effects on the world environmentally, economically and socially.
H5N1 is having devastating effects on China environmentally, although the total impact has yet to be determined. All birds are highly susceptible to the Bird Flu, hence the name, and will cause severe even fatal symptoms. The main symptoms in birds or poultry include depression, loss of appetite, cessation of egg laying, nervous signs, blue discolouration of the comb, coughing, sneezing and diarrhoea, however sudden death can occur without any previous signs of symptoms. A local from China recounts the symptoms of an infected bird, “They were starting to shake and their face turned purple, almost black. The eyes were swollen and turned red, then there were tears dropping out from their eyes. There were saliva came out from the mouth. Very sticky too. And then they started to die.”
In addition to death, loss of income to small-scale farmers, caused by the virus infecting their chickens, may trigger efforts to farm more intensively and on more marginal...