Warnings about bird flu, or avian influenza, apply mostly to people who travel internationally or work with birds or poultry. In rare cases around the world, birds have given people this disease. Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that suspected incidences of human-to-human transmission of the disease have occurred in Thailand and Indonesia. Infectious diseases such as this strain of influenza A, however, can mutate and spread. Recognizing the warning signs and identifying the flu subtype will help patients prevent global contagion.
Mild Symptoms
The mild symptoms of avian influenza can occur together or distinctly. MayoClinic.com notes, for instance, that some patients may experience conjunctivitis, which is an eye infection, alone or as a warning sign of other flu-induce health problems. CDC reports dozens of conjunctivitis conditions in confirmed H7N7 and other subtypes of bird flu cases, beginning in 1996. Patients who develop itchy, red, watery eyes after contact with birds or poultry meat should be tested and diagnosed by a physician.
Moderate Health Effects
Flu-like symptoms usually take two to five days to appear after exposure to the avian flu virus, MayoClinic.com relates. Early warning signs include a fever and feeling of fatigue. Respiratory inflammation may occur next, resulting in a runny nose, congestion, sneezing, coughing and sore throat. While these symptoms will fade in moderate cases, respiratory complications may arise instead.
Additional moderate health effects, perhaps brought on by the various avian influenza subtypes, include digestive upset. CDC notes that nausea may be followed by bouts of vomiting and diarrhea in conjunction with avian flu. These symptoms may be brought on by eating infected poultry as well. Any of these health issues that arise after contact with birds in an open-air market, poultry farm or other location known for infectious bird flu should be evaluated by medical professionals. Successful treatment depends on rapid testing and medication.
Complications
In some instances, the swift onset of avian influenza can cause complications to develop before patients identify the warning signs. Once respiratory complications set in, sick individuals may be unable to articulate their symptoms. The website MedlinePlus reports that acute respiratory distress syndrome can impair patients' cardiopulmonary function just a day or two after infection with the bird flu virus. Symptoms of ARDS include shortness of breath marked by a laborious and rapid "huffing and puffing." This condition, caused by inflammation in the lungs, affects oxygen transfer and may result in a collapsed lung, organ failure, cardiac arrest and death.
