An outbreak of avian influenza, also known as bird flu, is affecting bird populations in many countries throughout Asia. The outbreak is caused by the H5N1 subtype of influenza A. Human cases have also been reported.

Approximately 2 dozen people have died of bird flu in Asia the majority in Vietnam or Thailand. Fearing a major outbreak, hundreds of thousands of chickens have been killed. The main culprit is a virus known as H5N1and another strain recently introduced; H5N2.

H5N1 is a subtype of Influenza A. Outbreaks of this virus have been confirmed among poultry in Cambodia, China, Indonasia, Japan, Laos, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam.

H5N1 is carried through wild birds worldwide. It is extremely contagious and can be deadly among birds, particularly domestic birds, like chickens. Infected birds shed the virus in saliva, nasal secretion and feces. It is also believed that most cases of H5N1 infections in humans have resulted from contact with infected poultry or contaminated surfaces. Genetic research has shown that all genes in this virus are of bird origin. If this virus isn’t contained, it might acquire genes from the human influenza virus. Governments in Asia are killing infected poultry and birds to contain a potential outbreak, however, this avian flu has reportedly reached our shores in British Columbia. Just last week, the British Columbia government destroyed thousands of infected chickens and ordered them burnt at landfill sites to destroy a potential outbreak in Canadian chicken farms.

The reported human symptomns of avian influenza have ranged from typical influenza-like symptoms such as eye infections, pneumonia, acute respiratory distress, viral pneumonia, and other severe life threatening complications.

All influenza viruses can change. It is possible that this virus could transfer itself from person to person, thus infecting humans. There is hardly any immune protection against it because these viruses do not commonly affect humans. If an avian influenza virus was able to infect people and gain the ability to spread among the human population, an "influenza pandemic" could begin. Let’s hope these infected chickens won’t cross that road.