Bird Flu

Bird flu is a disease affecting birds that is caused by several types of flu viruses. Highly Pathogenic Bird Flu (HPAI) is a highly contagious disease affecting wild birds and poultry, and has been responsible for recent human outbreaks and deaths in Asian countries.

Bird flu spreads to humans mainly through contact with infected birds, which shed the virus in their saliva, nasal secretions and faeces. Very rarely, inefficient and limited human-to-human transmission may occur.

Normal Seasonal Flu

Flu is an infection caused by a virus called the flu virus. It is usually a more severe illness than the common cold which is caused by other respiratory viruses. There are 3 main types of flu: flu A, flu B and flu C. Flu A and flu B are associated with annual outbreaks and epidemics.

Flu A usually causes more severe illness than flu B and can result in pneumonia, hospitalization or even death, especially in the elderly and those with chronic illnesses. Flu A has also been responsible for all previous pandemics (worldwide epidemics of flu). Flu C is very rarely seen and is associated with only mild sporadic illness.

Pandemic Flu

Pandemic flu occurs when a new flu virus emerges and starts spreading as easily as normal flu (ie efficient human-to-human transmission) - by coughing and sneezing. The new virus must be able to replicate in humans and cause serious illness. As the virus is new, the human immune system will have no pre-existing immunity. This makes it likely that that people who contract pandemic flu will experience more serious disease than that caused by normal flu.