Guinea has reported six outbreaks of H5N1 avian flu, commonly called avian flu, on farms in the western part of the country, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) said Tuesday.
The outbreaks were the first reported in Guinea and were mostly found on laying hen farms, the Paris-based body said, citing information from Guinean health authorities.
A total of 120,478 birds died or were culled from the outbreaks, officials said.
About bird flu
Avian influenza, also called avian influenza, is a disease that usually only affects birds.
The names of influenza virus strains are defined by the proteins essential for the ability to infect: hemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N). There are several different strains of bird flu: 16 H subtypes and 9 N subtypes. Only those marked H5, H7 and H10 have caused human deaths.
The most common and deadly form of the virus is called Influenza A (H5N1) or H5N1 virus.
diagnosis and treatment
Most cases of human avian influenza infections are due to contact with infected birds or surfaces contaminated with excretions from infected birds: saliva, nasal secretions or feces.
Symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, and sometimes severe respiratory illness and pneumonia.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the following drugs for treatment: oral oseltamivir (brand name: Tamiflu), inhaled zanamivir (brand name: Relenza), and intravenous permavir (brand name: Rapivab) .
The mortality rate is around 60% for infected humans.
(Edited by Gus Trompiz; with information from CNN)
Source: CNN Brasil
