Symptoms of bird flu in humans:

The current H5N1 strain is the same strain that killed an estimated 25-50 million people in the 1918 flu worldwide pandemic. Detecting bird flu early can be critical to a patient’s survival. Because bird flu symptoms are similar to ordinary human flu, it is important to separate the presenting symptoms.

Common bird flu symptoms:

High fever (101-104 degrees Fahrenheit)
Diarrhea
Cough - when mucus is produced it may be bloody
Shortness of breath
Low white blood cell counts
Chest “crackles” heard with a stethoscope
Bleeding gums
Bleeding nose

Not common: These symptoms are common to influenza but not common to bird flu:

Sore throat
Conjunctivitis
Runny nose
Rash

Like ordinary flu, bird flu presents with high fever (101-104 degrees Fahrenheit) and cough. There are two distinguishing features that may indicate bird flu: (1) shortness of breath (usually accompanied by a higher than normal respirations rate) and/or (2) diarrhea. The diahrrea can be bloody and may precede the cough and respiratory symptoms by up to one week. The cough may or may not produce sputum, but when it does it can be bloody.

Almost all patients present with what is called “crackles” in their chest, which is a sound that a health care practitioner can hear with a stethoscope. Bird flu kills primarily by attacking the tissues in the lungs, so it is really important to have your chest symptoms evaluated by a medical professional if bird flu is in your area. Another thing your doctor can check for is laboratory findings. One well documented study reports significantly low white blood counts as a specific indicator in bird flu cases.

With bird flu, it is not typical to have a sore throat, conjunctivitis, a rash or a runny nose. It is with normal flu.

The average time between exposure and onset of illness was 2-4 days when bird flu first appeared in 1997. Recent reports indicate the range could now be 5-8 days, with 2-4 days still the most common. The median time from death to onset of illness is 9 days. Recent bird flu cases have caused high rates of death in infants and children. The bird flu is fatal in over 50% of adult cases worldwide. The death rate was actaully 89% for children in Thailand at one point. Bird flu is particularly dangerous for young people, and close attention should be paid to infants/children/teenagers with the above referenced symptoms.