Bird flu also known as avian flu can be described as a viral infection that causes illness among the bird population.

Some time back, there were many cases of bird flu in India and around the world, which led to a fear of another pandemic and most people were unaware and afraid of the disease.

Generally, there are few documented cases of the spread of avian flu from birds to humans, but it helps to be on the safe side and understand what needs to be done to prevent the transmission of the disease.

There are some important points to consider when dealing with bird flu:

1. Bird flu is a disease that is not known to infect humans but there have been times when people who come into contact with birds and poultry and have been infected by the deadly disease.
2. Although the spread of the disease does take place from birds to humans, the risk of the disease getting transmitted from one person to another and reaching pandemic levels is low.
3. This does not mean that we must take the disease lightly, people who get the infection become unwell and the chances of dying from the disease are very high.
4. We need to be careful when dealing with birds because we can be infected by the virus through the air that we breathe and from getting too close to the birds.
5. People can get infected when they accidentally touch their eyes, nose and mouth after they come into contact with the saliva or nasal droplets from the sick birds.
6. We need to take the necessary safety measures when killing, handling and preparing poultry in order to avoid getting infected by the fatal disease.

Although, Bird flu is rarely known to kill people, it is a major health hazard in cases where people become very ill and are in need of immediate medical treatment. The virus is dangerous because as time goes by, it changes and is able to resist the medicine that is used to stop them from spreading and killing us.

When someone is suffering from Bird flu, we need to be aware of the symptoms that includes feeling tired all the time, coughing, high fever, throat pain and finding it difficult to move your body due to severe pain.

Some of the other symptoms of the illness are stomach pain, nausea and feeling uncomfortable all the time and it can also affect your ability to think clearly.

Now that we know about dealing with Bird flu and its symptoms , here are some ways we can protect ourselves from the infection:

A) When we consume poultry meat or eggs, make sure that it is cooked properly and avoid eating it raw.

B) Maintain personal hygiene and wash your hands with water and soap after you have finished preparing the poultry meat or eggs.

C) Keep a safe distance between you and the birds, do not touch them as you may unknowingly get infected if they are sick.

D) Store the poultry meat and eggs properly so that they do not get mixed up with the other food items.

The chances of getting the disease is higher in areas where there domestic birds stay closer to the human population, we need to be on our guard and avoid taking unnecessary risks.