Avian influenza Health Article

Signs and tests

If you think you have been exposed to avian influenza, call your health care provider before your visit. This will give the staff a chance to take proper precautions that will protect them and other patients during your office visit.

In February 2006, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration approved a new, faster test for diagnosing strains of bird flu in people suspected of having the virus. The test is called the Influenza A/H5 (Asian lineage) Virus Real-time RT-PCR Primer and Probe Set. The test gives preliminary results within 4 hours. Older tests required 2 to 3 days.

Your doctor might also perform the following tests:

• Auscultation (to detect abnormal breath sounds)
• Chest x-ray
• Nasopharyngeal culture
• White blood cell differential

Other tests may be done to look at the functions of your heart, kidneys, and liver.

Treatment

Different types of avian flu virus may cause different symptoms. Therefore, treatment may vary.

In general, treatment with the antiviral medication oseltamivir (Tamiflu) or zanamivir (Relenza) may make the disease less severe -- if you start taking the medicine within 48 hours after your symptoms start.

Oseltamivir may also be prescribed for persons who live in the same house as those diagnosed with avian flu.

The virus that causes human avian flu appears to be resistant to the antiviral medicines amantadine and rimantadine. Therefore these medications should not be used if an H5N1 outbreak occurs.

People with severe infection may need to be placed on a breathing machine. Experts recommend that persons diagnosed with avian flu be put in isolation.

Doctors recommend that people get an influenza (flu) shot to reduce the chance of an avian flu virus mixing with a human flu virus, which would create a new virus that may easily spread.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a vaccine to protect humans from the avian flu. Experts say the vaccine could be used if the current H5N1 virus starts spreading between people.