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I know, I know…we
aren’t birds, so what’s the big deal, right? So
a chicken gets a sniffle…why can’t he just bundle
up like the rest of us, rest in bed and eat some chicken noodle
soup?
Oh. Right. That
might be a little weird…
Well, bird flu
is kind of a big deal, and here’s why: the avian flu
is different than the regular strains of human flu, so if
we get infected, our immune systems will have more trouble
fighting it. Because our immune system hasn’t seen the
bird flu before, it doesn’t have the right arsenal to
fight it off – and that means a real doozy of a sickness.
Previous flu pandemics
(like the devastating one of 1918) had components of flu viruses
from birds. Bird flu can mutate and cross directly to humans
or combine with an existing human flu virus and cross to us.
Either way, it’s a tough one to fight.
And here’s
a disturbing fact: the Stanley Cup playoffs were called off
in 1919 after several Montreal Canadiens fell ill from influenza.
Up until the lock-out in 2004, this was the only time the
Stanley Cup was ever cancelled.
Cancelling hockey?!
In Canada?!? Well, if you didn’t think bird flu was
serious before, you might want to think again!
Want to learn more? Check out the article: Bird
Flu and Humans.
Return to Questions
May 2007
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