A New Swine Flu Mutation - Far More Deadly
A new fear is emerging because swine flu has now been found in birds.
World Flu and Animal Health Experts have confirmed that the H1N1 pig flu virus has been found in birds.
They are warning that the outbreak which has been discovered in poultry mixes with the avian flu virus it could cause a far more serious world pandemic.
It has been found at a turkey farm in Chile where turkeys have been struck down with swine flu H1N1.
British leading flu expert Professor John Oxford said " the last thing we want is a universal virus which goes everywhere.
he said that birds in Asia and Egypt have avian flu so it would not be too difficult for it to spread and mix with the swine flu and the consequences of this could be lethal.
The outbreak in turkeys is being monitored by world health experts.
Professor Oxford who is a professor of virology has said that because it has only caused minor symptoms in birds it could easily get missed.
he also said that the biggest worry is that the birds are not dying which means that it is far harder to detect.
This lack of detection could mean that any action required to stop it spreading and causing the dangerous mutation could come too late.
There is a big worry that if the swine and avian flu do mutate it could become far more potent.
The current H1N1 strain of the flu virus is a mixture of human,as well as pig and bird genes and although extremely contagious has so far proved to be no more dangerous than normal seasonal flu.
If however it mutates with the H5N1 virus ( commonly known as bird flu or avian flu) it will almost certainly become more powerful although the avian flu is harder to pass among humans.
The UK is stockpiling vaccine ready for the winter pandemic and although it appears to have died down governments throughout the world are being warned not to get complacent as a major winter pandemic is almost certain.
The US firm Baxter are supplying the vaccine to the UK and will be available for distribution around October.
The first people to get it will be "at risk groups" such as heart patients,diabetics,asthmatics as well as pregnant women, health workers and anyone with any underlying health problem.
Of the European countries the UK is the hardest hit so far with the swine flu virus and at the time of writing 66 people have died of the virus in Britain.
World Flu and Animal Health Experts have confirmed that the H1N1 pig flu virus has been found in birds.
They are warning that the outbreak which has been discovered in poultry mixes with the avian flu virus it could cause a far more serious world pandemic.
It has been found at a turkey farm in Chile where turkeys have been struck down with swine flu H1N1.
British leading flu expert Professor John Oxford said " the last thing we want is a universal virus which goes everywhere.
he said that birds in Asia and Egypt have avian flu so it would not be too difficult for it to spread and mix with the swine flu and the consequences of this could be lethal.
The outbreak in turkeys is being monitored by world health experts.
Professor Oxford who is a professor of virology has said that because it has only caused minor symptoms in birds it could easily get missed.
he also said that the biggest worry is that the birds are not dying which means that it is far harder to detect.
This lack of detection could mean that any action required to stop it spreading and causing the dangerous mutation could come too late.
There is a big worry that if the swine and avian flu do mutate it could become far more potent.
The current H1N1 strain of the flu virus is a mixture of human,as well as pig and bird genes and although extremely contagious has so far proved to be no more dangerous than normal seasonal flu.
If however it mutates with the H5N1 virus ( commonly known as bird flu or avian flu) it will almost certainly become more powerful although the avian flu is harder to pass among humans.
The UK is stockpiling vaccine ready for the winter pandemic and although it appears to have died down governments throughout the world are being warned not to get complacent as a major winter pandemic is almost certain.
The US firm Baxter are supplying the vaccine to the UK and will be available for distribution around October.
The first people to get it will be "at risk groups" such as heart patients,diabetics,asthmatics as well as pregnant women, health workers and anyone with any underlying health problem.
Of the European countries the UK is the hardest hit so far with the swine flu virus and at the time of writing 66 people have died of the virus in Britain.
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