Bird flu or avian influenza is a viral infection that infects not just birds but also humans and other animals. There are different types of bird flu depending on the subtypes of viruses that attack you. Scientists have identified more than a dozen types of bird flu causing viruses, but the two most common strains are H5N1 and H7N9.
Although, the influenza virus that causes bird flu rarely infects humans, but when it does it can turn fatal.
The first case of avian influenza that affected the human population was caused by H5N1 virus in Hong Kong in 1997. After this incident, several other cases of bird flu were reported in Hong Kong, China, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Egypt. Since 1997, less than 500 bird flu deaths have been listed to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Outbreaks of avian influenza have occurred in Asia, Africa, North America and different parts of Europe. During this phase, it was observed that people who had close contact with sick birds got infected by the influenza virus.
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