THE flu scare has not deterred die-hard butter chicken fans in the country, whereas in other parts of the world people are thinking twice before tucking in. Irrespective of which side of the food divide you are on, here's a lowdown on the virus that's turned poultry into a page 1 regular. • Bird flu or avian influenza can range from a mild disease that has only minor effects to a highly infectious version that is fatal. It spreads in the air and in manure. It can also be transmitted by contaminated feed, water, equipment and clothing. Broken contaminated eggs may infect chicks in the incubator.• Most non-vegetarian air passengers prefer chicken. The ratio is 60:40 over other meats.• Ensure all poultry items, including eggs, are thoroughly cooked. Heat destroys the virus.• The disease has various effects on birds, ranging from severe depression to drastic declines in egg production and sudden deaths. There is no treatment.• The incubation period for the disease in poultry is 3-5 days.• Human fatalities from bird flu were unknown before 1997, when six people in Hong Kong died after being infected with the H5N1 strain.• Now the mutated strain has caused 14 human cases, of which 11 were fatal, and led to the slaughter of 25 million birds, mostly in South Asian countries. The human cases were believed to have resulted from direct contact with infected chickens.• Although avian flu is very infectious in birds, it does not spread easily among humans. There is a danger, however, that an avian virus mixes with a human influenza and forms a new disease.• According to health experts, even if scientists succeed in a crash programme to develop a vaccine to prevent avian influenza in people, manufacturers may lack the capacity to make enough to protect the entire world. Compiled from agencies
