Bird Flu in Humans

What Are the Symptoms?

The reported symptoms of humans with bird flu have ranged from typical influenza-like symptoms (fever, cough, sore throat, and muscle aches) to eye infections (conjunctivitis), pneumonia, acute respiratory distress, viral pneumonia, and other severe and life-threatening complications.

 

How Is It Treated?

Four different influenza antiviral drugs (amantadine, rimantadine, oseltamivir, and zanamivir) are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of influenza; three are approved for prevention. All four drugs have activity against influenza A viruses. However, sometimes, influenza strains can become resistant to these drugs, and, therefore, the drugs may not always be effective. For example, analyses of some of the 2004 H5N1 viruses isolated from poultry and humans in Asia have shown that the viruses are resistant to two of the medications (amantadine and rimantadine). Monitoring of avian influenza A viruses for resistance to influenza antiviral medications is ongoing.