إنفلونزا الطيور و الوقاية منها

Abstract EN

Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) overwhelmed over the world where it flies high in the skies freely without any passport or visa or stopping at any iron gate in a quarantined state.

The virus mo¬ves throughout the world and does not settle in a single place like other spread viruses.

This virus belongs to family named: Orthomy- xoviridae.

It is divided to three kinds: A, B, C which infect human beings; except the A kind that infects human beings, birds, horses, wha¬les and pigs.

This virus is responsible for all influenza pandemic across the history.

There are four subtypes for avian influenza which reach to 100 subtypes capable of infe-cting human beings like: H7 N3, H9 N2 H5 Nl, H7 N7.

This deadly disease has spread over more than 16 countries, mostly Asian countries, in the last months of 2003.

It is still expected to have more humans infected by this virus which may develop into a more complicated state in the future.

Worth mentioning, the possibility of catastrophic pandemic has been increased but it is impossible to predict the time of occu¬rrence and dimension of the danger it may produce.

Scientific background, accurate structure, and historical background of the virus across his¬tory has been examined by several research studies.

This review article studied the patholo¬gical state and symptoms in birds (especially domestic birds) and humans, also has reviewed the ways of direct diagnosis through exam¬ining the virus itself or virus protein in the blood or body secretions and in indirect ways through the immunity examinations.

Lastly, this paper proposes protective measures to contain the spread of this disease pandemic, encounter its health hazard, and the available curative medications, with some general reco¬mmendations to face this virus in the Arabic Gulf States.