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Bird flu, also called avian flu, is different from the flu commonly spread among people. Since 2003, there are over 400 people died of bird flu around the world. Therefore it is necessary to prevent and contain the spreading of bird flu, and we must know how the bird flu virus is spread.

As the other kind of flu viruses, there are two ways for the bird flu viruses to spread: airborne transmissions and direct touch. The bird flu viruses are the variants of Type A, which can spread among birds, some animals, and humans. The bird flu virus can spread via airborne media and by direct touch. The bird flu viruses are divided into types based on differences in two viral surface proteins, called the hemagglutinin (H) and the neuraminidase (N) respectively. They can have many combinations, such as H5N1, H7N7, H9N2, H7N2, H7N3, and so on.

Take the most common one H5N1 for example. If a bird is infected with H5N1 flu virus, there will be viruses in its respiratory system, feces. If another bird breathes in the H5N1 virus or touches the contaminated things, this bird will be infected, and becomes the host bird of the H5N1 virus. Since it can spread among birds, some animals, and humans, the virus may spread from bird to bird, from bird to animal, from bird to human, from animal to human, from human to human, and vice verse. The following are the media (virus host and easily contaminated places and objects) that help spread the bird flu viruses.

Birds

Both poultry and wild birds can get hit with the bird flu viruses. Once they catch bird flu, they will spread them, by direct touch or via airborne media. The flu will quickly spread among the group of poultry or wild birds. Actually, wild birds make the control of the spreading of the viruses much more difficult, particularly the birds which migrate from season to season. The migration of the wild birds will speed the spreading of the bird flu. The bird flu viruses, H5N1, H7N7, H9N2, H7N2, H7N3, etc., will be carried along. The droppings of the wild birds will contaminate the fields, trees, ponds, rivers The birds in the contaminated area will be infected by the bird flu viruses, including poultry. In the U.S., there are cases of bird flu since 2003. It is suspected that the wild birds carried the viruses into the country.

People

When people touch the contaminated things, the bird flu viruses will invade the immune system of people. People will catch the flu, then. What's worse, the bird flu virus can live for a short

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