A new scientific discovery regarding bird flu has raised concerns among experts. It's generally believed that fever acts as the body's natural shield and prevents many infections, but researchers have found that bird flu viruses continue to multiply even at high fever, potentially increasing the risk to humans.

How does fever protect the body?
When a serious infection occurs in the human body, the temperature rises, leading to fever. This increased temperature helps weaken the virus. Research has shown that the human flu virus, known as influenza A, is rapidly weakened by fever. A rise in body temperature of just two degrees Celsius can sometimes transform a dangerous infection into a mild illness.

Why are bird flu viruses not stopped?
A recent study, published in the journal Science, suggests that avian or bird flu viruses are not weakened even by fever. Scientists from Cambridge and Glasgow universities found that fever halts the growth of human flu viruses, but has little effect on bird flu viruses.

This is because bird flu viruses are less active in the upper human body and more active in the lower respiratory tract.

In their natural hosts, such as ducks and sea squirrels, these viruses often infect the intestines, where temperatures can naturally reach 40–42°C. This is why high temperatures don't significantly affect them.

Why is the incidence of bird flu low in humans, but the risk is high?
Professor Sam Wilson of Cambridge University explains that bird flu cases in humans are rare, but the mortality rate in those cases that do occur has traditionally been very high. This means that while this virus may not easily infect humans, once infected, the consequences can be severe.

What did the mice experiment find?
Researchers found in experiments on mice:

Fever acts as a strong protective shield against human flu viruses, but this protection is not sufficient to prevent avian influenza.

This means that if bird flu viruses ever spread widely among humans, normal fever-based defense mechanisms would be unable to stop them.

This research cautions that the bird flu virus does not behave like a typical flu virus. It remains active even at high temperatures, so relying solely on natural immunity is not enough to prevent infection. Scientists believe that understanding the nature of this virus and developing prevention and treatment strategies accordingly is crucial.

PC Social Media