Origins Of The Disease Of Bird Flu
If people are asked where they think, bid flu originated from, most of the respondents will probably say 'Asia'. However, in reality the truth is different that what meets the eye.
The year 1878 saw a serious disease affecting chickens and fowls in the European country of Italy. When progress took place in the medicinal field, it was detected that the origin of fowl plagues lie in what is termed as 'influenza viruses. This viruses, particularly the Type A virus affected domestic animals in an adverse way.
Human diseases had no relation with bird flu or avian flue virus, but that was till the World War I. The highly pathogenic H5N1 virus was traced back to Spain. The epidemic created havoc in the year 1918 ad 1919, taking a toll of nearly 50-100 million people. The memories of the virus are still fresh in the minds of the common people. The quick movement of people facilitated the spread of this disease, as million of soldiers arrived on the continent. Moreover the congregation of soldiers together naturally increased the toll on human life. The virus got huge press coverage in Spain, where almost every person was affected by the dangerous epidemic. The epidemic was so dangerous that it left people affected by it, too feeble to even walk in the hours of infection. The reason of the deadly virus lies in the fact that the virus had been slightly altered so that it affected humans. The origin of the disease, though uncertain, was believed to be in the United States of America.
Scotland, according to some researchers was the place where the whole bird flue fiasco started. A poultry farm in Aberdeen was believed to be the origins of the disease in South East Asia. The farm was later identified and isolated, but not before the virus killed hundreds. The effect was however mitigated if compared to the effect it had on other parts of the world. The virus that affected England in 1963, 1979 and 1991, according to Scottish scientists, was different than the 'bird flu' virus of today. Moreover it was also found out that the Scottish virus does not spread from the fowl to humans.
The latest outbreak of bird flue, took place, in Hong Kong, in the year 1997, claiming 18 people, among which 6 died. A large number of poultries were culled in order to stop the pandemic from spreading but the virus raised its ugly head again and spread to other continents, claiming hundreds of lives.
Though its origins were hotly debated, one has to be concerned about the future and not the past. Though research and development in the medicinal field let us hope that mankind will find a way in which this deadly disease can be controlled and/or prevented at an early stage. The discovery of drugs, like Tami flu may help the common man fight this dangerous disease which is proving to a menace for mankind.