The influenza virus is primarily spread by airborne droplets, which easily infect your sensitive spots such as your eyes, nose, and mouth. Touching contaminated surfaces and touching your face can spread the influenza virus.

The virus can occur naturally in some wild migratory water birds, such as ducks and geese, which do not get sick from the virus but can carry it to other birds. Domestic poultry such as chickens and turkeys can get bird flu. These bird flu viruses pose no serious threat to human health.

Persistent coughing may be a sign of underlying disease such as heart disease or pneumonia. Sneezing may be a sign of infection of the upper respiratory tract (nose or the sinuses). Contact your veterinarian as soon as possible.

There are several ways to spread the virus from one geographical region to another: transporting the birds (and their feathers) to different poultry farms, the trafficking of captured wild birds and the involuntary transporting of soil on shoe soles and vehicle tires. Each of these ways of spreading the infection plays a certain part in the epidemic, but until now all cases were triggered by domestic and farm poultry transport.

If the H5N1 virus, or any other avian flu virus, develops the ability to spread from one person to another, we may be faced with a flu pandemic. Pandemics occur when new flu viruses emerge because people have no immunity to the disease. In the previous century, there were three flu pandemics: 1918, 1957, and 1968. The 1918 flu pandemic was the most deadly of the three, killing between 50 million and 100 million people worldwide.

Though rare, instances of limited human-to-human transmission of H5N1 and other avian influenza viruses have occurred in association with outbreaks in poultry and should not be a cause for alarm. In no instance has the virus spread beyond a first generation of close contacts or caused illness in the general community. Data from these incidents suggest that transmission requires very close contact with an ill person.

The vaccine virus (Vaccinia) is spread by touching a vaccination site before it has healed or by touching bandages or clothing that have become contaminated with live virus from the vaccination site. Vaccinia is not spread through airborne contagion. Proper handling of the vaccine site includes these three key points: If you touch either the site or materials in contact with the site by accident, clean your hands right away.

All natural H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) infections in domestic cats reported to date appear to have been associated with outbreaks in domestic or wild birds and acquired through ingestion of raw meat likely infected with the H5N1 HPAI virus. Fortunately, there is no evidence to date that domestic cats play a role in the natural transmission cycle of H5N1 HPAI viruses.

There is not enough information available about H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) infection in dogs to know how infection would develop. Domestic cats in Europe appear to have become infected by eating infected poultry or wild birds. Details concerning a case of H5N1 infection in a dog in October 2004 were recently published; the dog was infected after it ate the carcass of an infected duck. View the report on the CDC Web site.

Influenza virus is mainly spread when a sick person coughs or sneezes into the face of another person. It can also spread by touching contaminated surfaces and then touching your face.

It is quite difficult to estimate the likelihood of when it will happen. Bird virus has been around at least since 1996; we haven't had that event despite very close contact between humans and birds in Southeast Asia and China. We have had a nine-year period where no event has occurred. Now, the next nine or ten years, the likelihood is that it will occur. But we are not certain what the product will be that comes out.

Respiratory illnesses are the most common causes of illness and death in our pet rats. Since all rats are exposed to certain bacteria that can cause infection, symptoms of respiratory illness should be checked out by a vet promptly. Infections may not always show symptoms right away and often start with sneezing. Respiratory infections can progress from sniffles to bronchial pneumonia quickly and can cause permanent damage to lung tissue and even be fatal.

No. Only 121 cases have occurred in the current outbreak despite huge numbers of birds being affected and numerous associated opportunities for human exposures, especially in backyard flocks. It is not understood why some people but not others become infected with similar exposures.

HIV is transmitted through contact with the blood, semen, vaginal secretions or breast milk of an HIV infected person.

To help prevent its spread, many Governments and health officials are working hard to bring about a greater civilian awareness of the dangers of avian flu and the importance of swift precautionary action when new cases are identified or infections suspected in both birds and/or humans.

Mumps is spread by contact with discharges from the nose and throat. Coughing, sneezing, sharing drinks and kissing can spread these discharges. The virus can be spread from about seven (7) days before glands become swollen, to nine (9) days after. A person who is infected with mumps virus but does not have any symptoms can still spread the virus to other people

Limited human-to-human transmission could not be ruled out for some family clusters of bird flu where there was close contact between family members. However, none of these clusters have led to larger outbreaks in the general community indicating that the virus does not spread easily among people.

A risk of HIV transmission does exist during body piercing or tattooing if instruments contaminated with blood are not sterilized or disinfected between clients. However, HIV is not transmitted by day-to-day contact in the workplace, schools or social settings. HIV is not transmitted through shaking hands, hugging or a casual kiss. HIV infection does not spread from a toilet seat, a drinking fountain, a door knob, dishes, drinking glasses, food or pets.

Yes, there was at least one case, perhaps two, in Asia, of human-to-human transmission of H5N1 influenza reported in 2005. But the virus is not yet in a form that will transmit easily between humans.

Last year there were almost 10,000 human cases of WNV detected, including 262 deaths in the United States.

ThinPrep Pap specimens and specimens collected with the hc2 DNA Collection Device are approved for testing with Digene Hybrid Capture 2 DNA Assay. ThinPrep Pap specimens must be less than three weeks old. There must also be sufficient quantity remaining after processing the pap smear to perform the HPV testing. Also, tissue specimens (paraffin embedded) can be tested for high and low risk HPV using the in situ hybridization. Tissue specimens are stable indefinitely.

WNV is spread to humans by the bite of an infected mosquito. A mosquito becomes infected by biting a bird that carries the virus. You or your child cannot get WNV from a person who has the disease. WNV is not spread by person-to-person contact such as touching, kissing, or caring for someone who is infected.

There is no evidence that bird flu is a risk to dogs. Recently, there have been reports of a canine influenza virus in the U.S. but this is a different flu virus that affects only dogs. There is evidence from the Asian outbreak that the bird flu virus might affect cats fed raw poultry, but there is currently no cause for concern because the virus is not present in the U.S.

Use of infected poultry manure as fertiliser in agriculture and agriculture, and as feed in fish-farms and pig farms Most outbreaks in south-east Asia can be linked to movements of poultry and poultry products (or infected material from poultry farms, such as mud on vehicles, or peoples' shoes).