Bird Flu (Avian Influenza)

Decontamination and Preparedness

Bird Flu (Avian Influenza) Decontamination Process

Avian influenza (Bird Flu) is an infectious disease of birds caused by type A strains of the influenza virus. The disease, which was first identified in Italy more than 100 years ago, occurs worldwide. There is growing concern over the potential threat of Bird Flu spreading to humans and possibly causing an epidemic with massive loss of life.

The Bird Flu Problem

Estimates vary enormously as to the possible death toll from a pandemic outbreak of Avian Flu. It has been estimated that the number could range between 2 and 7.4 million. United Nations Avian Influenza Coordinator, Dr. David Nabarro, projected a Bird Flu epidemic could kill as many as 150 million people. For this to happen, the virus would have to undergo a mutation or antigenic shift, allowing for the transfer of the virus to humans. A global outbreak could only happen if this was to occur.

Traditionally, an antigenic shift involving humans has long been thought to occur in those living in close proximity to domestic poultry and pigs. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), pigs are susceptible to infection with both avian and mammalian viruses, including human strains, and therefore, they can serve as a "mixing vessel" for the scrambling of genetic material from human and avian viruses, resulting in the emergence of a new subtype. However, recent events have provided evidence that in at least some of the 15 avian influenza virus subtypes circulating in bird populations, humans themselves can serve as the "mixing vessel".

Once an infected person enters your building, the virus left behind can remain active for up to 10 days on any surface. With the IAQM BioHazard Localized Incident Decontamination Kit, you can safely be back to business within hours. Click Here To Learn how

History Influenza pandemics

Spanish Flu (1918): More than 20 million people killed worldwide, about 500,000 of them in the United States and nearly 1,800 in Winnebago County.
Asian Flu (1957-58): Nearly 70,000 Americans killed in two waves of the virus.
Hong Kong Flu (1968-69): The mildest flu pandemic of the 20th century killed 33,800 Americans.
Swine Flu Scare (1976): Breakout of suspected "killer flu" at Fort Dix, N.J., aroused fear of a pandemic and triggered a vaccination campaign in the United States. But the virus never moved beyond New Jersey.
Russian Flu Scare (1977): A pandemic developed, but the death toll was relatively low because many people older than 23 had developed immunity from the virus during the Asian Flu outbreak of the 1950s.
Bird (or Avian) Flu Scare (1997-present): Spread of the virus from birds to humans in Asia has raised fears of eventual human-to-human transmission, which could kill millions of people worldwide. No such cases have been reported.
Sources: MyDNA.com, Rockford Register Star archives

The Cause

There are 15 types of avian or bird flu with variations seen throughout different regions. Domestic birds such as chickens and ducks are most at risk from epidemic outbreaks since they tend to live together in higher concentrations. Migratory birds transfer the disease between areas, infecting local populations as they go. Recent confirmations of the presence of H5N1 in Turkey, Romania and Greece, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Gaza and the West Bank show the pattern of spread, which is impossible to stop. If an avian influenza pandemic does occur and more and more humans are infected, the potential of humans acting as "mixing vessels" themselves increases. This is especially true if they also contract common human influenza strains. This would create a subtype with sufficient human genes, capable of simple transmission from person to person. An event like this would cause a severe influenza epidemic even worse than those during the 20th century.

Hong Kong Outbreak

A 1997 avian flu outbreak in Hong Kong, involving influenza strain H5N1 (bird flu), caused severe respiratory disease in 18 humans, with 6 cases resulting in death. This was the first documented infection of humans with an avian influenza virus and happened simultaneously with an epidemic of highly pathogenic avian influenza, caused by the same strain, in Hong Kong's poultry population. Investigation of this outbreak showed that close contact with live, infected poultry was the source of human infection.

WHO studies at the genetic level further determined that the virus had jumped directly from birds to humans. Of the 15 avian influenza virus subtypes, H5N1 is of particular concern for several reasons. H5N1 mutates rapidly and has a documented propensity to acquire genes from viruses infecting other animal species. Bird Flu has swept through poultry and wild birds in Asia since 2003, killing a large number of birds. A recent outbreak in Indonesia has raised the total of human avian influenza cases to 224. Those cases have caused127 deaths, resulting in a devastating 57% mortality rate.

The ability of avian influenza to cause severe disease in humans has now been documented on multiple occasions, most recently in Indonesia. Human to human spread of the disease was reported during this outbreak, establishing WHO Pandemic Alert - Phase 3, meaning there has been or very limited human-to-human transmission. click here

The Potential Threat of a Pandemic

History proves the potential threat to humans from these virulent flu types is real. The 1918-1919 Spanish Flu killed 40 million people in a matter of months, and the virus responsible is now believed to have come from birds, causing additional concern. And while historical patterns show us that major influenza pandemics could occur three to four times each century as new virus subtypes emerge and are readily transmitted from person to person, the occurrence of influenza pandemics is still unpredictable. The 20th century gave us the great influenza pandemic of 1918-1919, which was followed by pandemics in 1957-1958 and 1968-1969. Health and medical experts are afraid that avian influenza strains, like H5N1, could eventually mutate, become extremely contagious and pathogenic, and trigger a severe flu pandemic similar to, if not worse, than those during the 20th century. Statistics from known and WHO-confirmed cases state that more than 50 percent of those who contracted Bird Flu have died. Out of the 127 known avian influenza deaths, 104 of them have occurred in China, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. For updated WHO human avian influenza case totals, click here.

H5N1 Avian Influenza Timeline

Avian Influenza and Decontamination

In the event of an avian influenza outbreak or pandemic, every structure, transport vehicle, cruise ship, airplane, etc. that has been exposed to infected individuals and/or animals, could cause further spreading of the virus. Contaminated structures require complete decontamination of the entire building envelope including attics, basements, crawl-spaces and everywhere in between.

Since 2001, IAQM has been decontaminating structures of many biological, chemical and viral contaminants. Our superior line of innovative products, coupled with our expert staff, enables us to decontaminate your home or business and have it ready to be reoccupied within hours.

Our company's unique DOD unit can save your most valuable items no matter how extensive the contamination may be. Independent laboratories have verified that our non-toxic formulation neutralizes chemical, biological and viral contaminants including the pathological influenza strains H5 and H7 (Avian Flu).

Contact IAQM for your decontamination or emergency preparedness planning needs.