BirdFlu Buzz & Updates

FAQ & Updates

What is BirdFlu?
Avian influenza is a disease affecting birds that is caused by several types of Influenza viruses. Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) is a highly contagious disease affecting wild birds and poultry, and has been responsible for recent human outbreaks and deaths in Asian countries.

There are three types of influenza viruses - A, B and C. Only types A and B cause significant human disease. Influenza A is further sub-typed according to the type of haemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N) proteins on its outer layer. There are 15 different H types (H1, H2, H3, etc) and 9 different N types (N1, N2, N3, etc). The current outbreak of avian influenza in poultry which affected humans is caused by the H5N1 subtype of Influenza A virus.

Source: http://www.moh.gov.sg


Symptoms of BirdFlu
The reported symptoms of avian influenza in humans have ranged from typical influenza-like symptoms, such as fever, cough, sore throat and muscle aches, to eye infections, pneumonia, and shortness of breath.

Source: http://www.moh.gov.sg


Is it Safe to Visit the Jurong BirdPark?
Singapore is free from bird flu. It is of course safe to go to places where birds can be found such as Jurong Bird Park.

MOH wishes to assure the public that there is currently no cause for alarm. Based on current available evidence, bird flu does not present a significant public health threat to us. There is no disease transmission among humans in the wider community. We also have few bird farms in Singapore, and slaughter of poultry is no longer carried out in wet markets. The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) has taken precautionary measures to prevent the importation of infected birds into Singapore and has a contingency plan to deal with any outbreak of avian influenza in any of our poultry farms. MOH, together with the AVA is monitoring the situation closely and will update the public should the situation change.

Source:http://www.moh.gov.sg