The Potential for Avian Influenza to Cause Another Worldwide Pandemic E

The Potential for Avian Influenza to Cause Another Worldwide Pandemic Abstract There are three major factors involved in the start of a pandemic; the viral strain must be new, able to cause serious illness, and transmit efficiently between humans. This article explores the avian influenza virus?s potential to cause another global pandemic through its ease of transmission and ability to evade treatment. Avian type A influenza virus generally spreads either through an intermediate vector during the process of antigenic shift or directly to humans when it jumps the species barrier. A certain strain of the virus, H5N1 was of particular concern as it was the first strain to move directly from birds to humans. The avian influenza virus poses another threat as it evolves quickly through antigenic drift and eludes all treatment protocol, quickly gaining resistance to medication. Battling not trying to stop this virus seems to be the best course of action as we prepare ourselves for another possible outbreak. Avian influenza is a viral disease that does not normally affect humans. However, there have been an increasing number of cases where people have been affected and died. In order for any virus to become a pandemic, it must fulfill three major requirements. It needs to be a new subtype of the virus, one that hasn?t existed in the past. It must be able to replicate itself and cause serious damage in humans, and it must have the ability to transmit efficiently between humans. (World Health Organization, 2005). During the 20th century, there were three pandemics of a strain of avian influenza, two of which (originating in Hong Kong and China) were caused by a new viral strain containing a combination of genes from both human and av... ...where and when it does strike seems to be the best way to battle this deadly virus. Avian Influenza: A Global Pandemic - 6 References ? Kaye, D., Pringle, C. (2004). Avian Influenza Viruses and their Implication for Human Health. Clinical Infectious Diseases, (40), 108-112 ? Ruben, F. (2005). Influenza: getting our attention. Clinical Infectious Diseases, (40), 1697(2) ? Center for Disease Control. (2005, May). Influenza (Flu). Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 7/25/2005: www.cdc.gov/flu ? World Health Organization. (2005). Avian Influenza: assessing the pandemic threat. The World Health Organization. 7/25/2005: www.who.int/en/ ? Mayo Clinic. (2005, March). Bird flu (avian influenza). MayoClinic.com. 7/25/2005: www.mayoclinic.com ? Avian Medicine PHR 220, Spring 2005 UCD ? VM, Pat Wakenell, Avian Influenza