Coping In a Changing World - Avian Flu

Product Description

News reports repeatedly trumpet the same alarming "facts": that avian flu is spreading across the globe, killing thousands in a deadly pandemic. However, the truth is considerably less alarming.
"Avian Flu" generally refers to infection in birds by the type A (H5N1) influenza virus (although when humans are infected by this virus, they, too, are described as having been infected with avian flu). Type A is a broad category of flu viruses that can infect humans and lead to pandemics. The "H" and the "N" in bird flu's official name refer to two proteins that reside on the outside of the virus and allow it to penetrate a cell and, after reproducing itself, exit the cell in order to move on and infect other cells.