Chicken Influenza Symptoms

Types

• There are two types of chicken influenza: highly pathogenic (HPAI) and low pathogenic (LPAI). LPAI is usually found in water fowl and causes little to no signs in domesticated birds. On the other hand, HPAI is fatal in birds like chickens. There are only two types of highly pathogenic avian influenza strains.

  The American Veterinary Medical Association says, "Avian Influenza is uncommon in most commercial poultry flocks in the United States; it is most often identified in poultry raised outdoors or those that intermingle with or are exposed to wild birds."

Transmission

• Chicken influenza is transmitted by contact between infected and healthy birds. They can also catch the flu if they drink, eat or touch any area that may have been contaminated by an infected animal. Birds get rid of the disease through secretions from their nostrils, eyes and mouth. It can also be excreted in their droppings. It is spread through the transport of birds and migration.

Signs

• In mild cases of the disease, there may be some ruffling of the feathers or a drop in egg production. In some instances, it may go undetected. In severe cases, the flu spreads quickly throughout the flock and damages internal organs. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the mortality rate can reach 90 to 100 percent within 48 hours.

Chicken Influenza in Humans

• Humans can catch avian flu through contact with birds carrying the disease or places where their secretions are found. However, it is uncommon. In people, symptoms are much like the human form of the flu including fever, sore throat and coughing.

Treatment

• The CDC says there are two medications that could treat avian flu in humans: oseltamivir and zanamivir, but more studies must be done to determine how well they work.