Bird flu case confirmed in Jordan

[DaSangarTalib]

The deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu has been found in dead birds on a private farm in northern Jordan.

Laboratory test results conducted overnight on Thursday showed that birds had died of the virus in the Ajloun district of northern Jordan.

The strain has been detected recently in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank.

Health Minister Saeed Darwazeh is due to hold a news conference on Friday to give more details about tests and outline plans to combat bird flu.

On Thursday, Mr Darwazeh issued a seven-day deadline for "people raising domestic fowl to get rid of them, after which the competent authorities will have them killed".

He said that the Jordanian authorities had raised their state of preparedness to a "maximum level".

Officials are concentrating on inspection operations of chicken farms in the Jordan Valley.

The H5N1 strain of the virus has killed more than 100 people worldwide.

It does not pose a large-scale threat to humans, as it does not pass easily from one person to another at present.

However, experts fear the virus could mutate to gain this ability, and in its new form trigger a flu pandemic, potentially putting millions of human lives at risk.

[nimrod]

Fight&Die for Allah I sure this bird-flu doesn’t get out of hand.

From what I understand the flu virus is normally spread from birds to other host animals.
The virus in the host animal such as pigs can then pass it on to people. The time it takes for the swine to pass it to humans allows a vaccine to be developed.

This strain of bird flu has mutated so that it can pass directly to humans. That is what makes it scary. There is no time period to allow the development of a vaccine as the virus continues to mutate.

The good news is that the bird flu doesn’t seem to be as easy to pass from person to person as other strains of the flu virus has been.

That is my understanding anyway. I may have miss read some of the information concerning the flu. Perhaps if I have stated it wrong someone better educated will offer a better explanation.

Thanks
Nimrod