What are some outbreaks of bird flu in recent history?

What are some outbreaks of bird flu in recent history?

There have been outbreaks of versions of bird flu all over the world. Some forms have a mortality rate that exceeds 50%. Recent outbreaks have happened in China and Russia. Previous pandemics related to bird flu include the following outbreaks.

• The 1918 pandemic (the Spanish flu) resulted in 50 million people dying throughout the world was later linked to an H1N1 influenza virus that came from birds. The number of deaths in the U.S. was about 675,000.
• The 1957-1958 pandemic was caused by the H2N2 virus, which originated from a bird influenza virus. This pandemic was called the Asian flu, as Singapore and Hong Kong were the first places to report infections. It killed 1.1 million people globally. Deaths in the U.S. totaled 116,000 people.
• In 1968, the H3N2 flu virus caused a pandemic that killed 1 million people throughout the world. It was particularly serious for people over the age of 65. In the U.S, about 100,000 people died.
• In 2009, the H1N1pdm09 virus, a novel H1N1 virus, was found in the U.S. This pandemic claimed an estimated 151,700 to 575,400 lives throughout the world in the first year it was in circulation. The numbers for the U.S. during the first year amounted to an estimated 12,469 deaths. The difference with this virus is that it caused more severe illness and death among people younger than 65 years old.

It’s impossible to eliminate bird flu from wild birds. The best approaches to bird flu currently include working to identify and eliminate outbreaks among domestic birds and to continue work on a vaccine that will be effective against bird flu.