it recently caused the death of a six year old girl

A warning from The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation is that the deadly avian influenza virus which was previously thought to be on the decline may be making a comeback!

The FAO said that individuals and health authorities around the world should be ready for a possible bird flu pandemic.  The H5N1 bird flu virus has already killed over 300 people over the last eight years which represents over 50 percent of those infected with it.

At the worst point in 2006 the virus was noted in 63 countries but then went on a big decline.  Recently however the virus has been found in Romania, Bulgaria and Israel to name just a few of the countries where it has reappeared.  The virus has also been seen in Cambodia where it recently caused the death of a six year old girl.

The bird flu virus has pretty well the same symptoms as regular influenza except that it is much more severe.  The H5N1 virus usually kills humans unless they get immediate medical care and treatment with the influenza medications Tamiflu or Relenza.

The FAO said that they could not be 100 percent sure why the H5N1 influenza virus was making a comeback but it was completely normal for viruses to mutate and spread around the world in this way.

Many people seem to have forgotten about bird flu because of all the new stories about swine flu but it should always be remembered that while swine flu is dangerous it is a walk in the park compared to the deadly bird flu. The vast majority of people recover from swine flu, but most people who get bird flu end up dead.

The UK government has emergency stocks of Tamiflu which will be given to health workers and essential personnel in the case of a full blown bird flu pandemic in the UK. It is not a bad idea to get your own supply of Tamiflu which can be done at the Ukmedix web site.