http://www.sandiegohealthdirectory.com/forums en-us [b]Influenza A virus subtype H5N1[/b], also known as "bird flu," [b]A(H5N1)[/b] or simply [b]H5N1[/b], is a subtype of the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influenzavirus_A]Influenza A virus[/url] which can cause illness in humans and many other animal species.[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H5N1#cite_note-ICTV46.0.1-0][1][/url] A bird-adapted strain of H5N1, called [b]HPAI A(H5N1)[/b] for "highly [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pathogen]pathogenic[/url] avian influenza virus of type A of subtype H5N1", is the causative agent of [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmission_and_infection_of_H5N1]H5N1 flu[/url], commonly known as "[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avian_influenza]avian influenza[/url]" or "bird flu". It is [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enzootic_%28epidemiology%29]enzootic[/url] in many bird populations, especially in [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southeast_Asia]Southeast Asia[/url]. One strain of HPAI A(H5N1) is [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_spread_of_H5N1]spreading globally[/url] after first appearing in Asia. It is [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epizootic]epizootic[/url] (an epidemic in nonhumans) and panzootic (affecting animals of many species, especially over a wide area), killing tens of millions of birds and spurring the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culling]culling[/url] of hundreds of millions of others to stem its spread. Most references to "bird flu" and H5N1 in the popular media refer to this strain.[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H5N1#cite_note-KSLi-1][2][/url] As of the 25[sup]th[/sup] July, 2008 [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FAO]FAO[/url] Avian Influenza Disease Emergency Situation Update, H5N1 [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pathogenicity]pathogenicity[/url] is continuing to gradually rise in wild birds in endemic areas but the avian influenza disease situation in farmed birds is being held in check by vaccination. Eleven outbreaks of H5N1 were reported worldwide in June 2008 in five countries (China, Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan and Vietnam) compared to 65 outbreaks in June 2006 and 55 in June 2007. The "global HPAI situation can be said to have improved markedly in the first half of 2008 [but] cases of HPAI are still underestimated and underreported in many countries because of limitations in country disease surveillance systems".[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H5N1#cite_note-2][3][/url] [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H5N1#cite_note-2][/url][from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H5N1] [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H5N1#cite_note-2][/url] http://www.sandiegohealthdirectory.com/forums/comments.php?id=1 Tue, 17 Feb 2009 16:16:51 GMT http://www.sandiegohealthdirectory.com/forums/link.php?action=detail&id=1