Humans have no natural immunity to bird flu. Its symptoms are severe and can lead to death within five to six days. While so far all victims have caught the virus directly from infected birds, many scientists fear that it is just a matter of time before the virus mutates and begins to spread from human to human, leading to a pandemic that could kill up to 40 million people around the world. Cutting through the deluge of news stories about bird flu, this definitive guide explains how the bird flu virus works, the harm that it has already caused in Asia, why it will be so deadly if it begins to spread between humans, and what has been done so far to protect communities from the threat (not enough, many scientists fear). It will look at the antiviral drugs which offer us short-term protection, but also investigate why we have done so little to invest in vaccine development. In addition to giving the background story of the bird flu pandemic, the book is full of practical information on what people can do to protect themselves, including advice from experts on how to boost the immune system and procedures to follow if the pandemic arrives. Everyone needs to know as much as they can abo

The author explores the underlying conditions that would create a bird flu pandemic, examines the ways in which the public can protect themselves and their families, and describes what can be done to reduce the likelihood of spreading this disease.

Looks at the H5N1 strain of bird flu and how it is effecting the world bird population and what its potential impact will be on the world human population should it become easily transmittable.

A bird flu pandemic is inevitable—so we are told. First identified in China, this apparently merciless virus, which originated in chickens, has the potential to mutate and kill thousands, even millions of people. John Farndon offers a compact, one-stop read that tells it straight. The public doesn’t want to spend months doing research, and Bird Flu provides readers with all the necessary information. This is something that can’t be pushed aside and ignored––people really do need to know if there is anything to fear, and if so, what can they do about it.

Avian Flu is one of the high profile killer viruses that has obsessed the media and terrorized the world. Though this particular flu virus has gained even more attention and spread more dread than most other deadly viruses and pandemics, the fear and hysteria are out of proportion to the actual threat level at this point. Avian Flu offers both calm and rational reassurance concerning the nature and extent of the threat and practical, real-world advice on how to protect against the virus and what steps to take should the disease hit our shores.

"Marc Siegel is an articulate voice of reason in a world beset by hype and hysteria. We would be well advised to listen closely to what he has to say." -Jerome Groopman, M.D., staff writer, the New Yorker "Siegel cuts through the hype about the 'deadly' this and the 'lethal' that, and applies reason in seeking the answers." -John M. Barry, author of The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History "Timely and needed. At such times, we need soothsayers and explicators to redirect the ready-fire-aim mindset. Siegel's book fulfills this role well." -The Journal of the American Medical Association As bird flu sweeps through Asia, the rest of the world has begun to worry that it might spread west and start infecting humans. As many experts have pointed out, an influenza pandemic is only a matter of time and that time could be now. Or is it? In Bird Flu, Dr. Marc Siegel cuts through the hype, the facts, the fears, and the realities to explain what has the experts so worried and why there's still plenty of reason to be calm. Among the questions he answers are: * What is bird flu, and who has it? * What can I do to protect my family? * Should I stockpile Tamiflu? * Will this be like the deadly Spanish flu of 1918? * Why is there no bird flu vaccine? * Will the annual flu shot protect me? In his sensible and entertaining style, Siegel looks at the advances we've made in treatments, the research still to be done, and the challenges ahead for Asia to lay out a realistic plan for ending this global threat. While a bird flu outbreak in the United States may or may not happen this year, there's still a great deal of work to be done in readying America for outbreaks of any kind.

Already available in Turkey, China, France, Greece, Hungary, Croatia, Great Britain and around the globe, Bird Flu: What We Need to Know is a must-read for: Anyone who has had any kind of flu and doesn't want to get sick again Anyone who is worried about ongoing reports of avian flu Anyone who wants to be prepared, just in case.Bird flu. It's in the news every day, and whenever it's mentioned, so is the word "deadly." Experts say it's only a matter of time before the virus mutates so that it can spread from person to person. Some 50 million people died of the Spanish flu in 1918; in this age of global travel, the next pandemic could be far worse.In Bird Flu: What We Need to Know, science writer A.A. Avlicino looks not only at the virus and how it spreads, but also at the preventive measures you can take to avoid getting it -- or any virus.