Seasonal (or common) flu is a respiratory illness that can be transmitted person to person.
Avian (bird) flu is caused by influenza viruses that occur naturally among wild birds. The H5N1 variant is deadly to domestic fowl and can be transmitted from birds to humans. Pandemic flu is virulent human flu that causes a global outbreak, or pandemic, of serious illness. You may have heard about avian (bird) or pandemic influenza in the news recently. For the most current information on the topic, visit the following Web sites: Frequently asked questions about ABC movie Questions and answers about ABC's "Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America," a made for TV movie. State of Alaska Avian & Pandemic Flu Resources Information about Avian and Pandemic flu from Alaska Health and Social Services. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention General information about avian influenza (bird flu) that has caused infections in birds and in humans. Also see Questions & Answers on the CDC Web site. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services PandemicFlu.gov: one-stop access to U.S. Government avian and pandemic flu information. Epidemic and Pandemic Alert and Response World Health Organization (WHO) is coordinating the global response to human cases of H5N1 avian influenza and monitoring the corresponding threat of an influenza pandemic. Also see Frequently Asked Questions on the WHO Web site.
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