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Article: AVIAN FLU Q&A.(FRONT)
- Article from:
- The Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, WI)
- Article date:
- October 15, 2005
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Capital Newspapers. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Orlando Sentinel
What is pandemic flu? What is avian flu? Are they the same?
No, they are not. Pandemic is the general term used to describe a global outbreak of an influenza virus that has not struck people in the past. A pandemic is highly dangerous because the population has no natural immunity to the novel virus.
Avian flu is a specific influenza virus that infects birds. Flu viruses always have been common in birds. These days, when people talk about avian flu, they usually are referring to the bird influenza circulating mostly in Asia.
What would happen if a pandemic occurred?
Depending on its severity, a ...