Kiko, when birds get H5N1, they are very, very sick. They are soon dead. Before they die, I think they'd be sneezing or coughing [sneezing is for things with nasal passages which are irritated and maybe birds don't have much in the way of sinuses for all I know].
The idea that it was the young and healthy who died from Spanish flu is obviously because, for a start, there were not many old people around in those days as a percentage of the population, with life expectancy in the 40 year range and the ranks quite thin in the +60 age group. Also, it might be that a similar or related flu had conferred some immunity on many older people. Maybe there had been a similar flu, or a prequel, 40 years before that and records were not so good.
Like sars, I think H5N1 will be specially fatal for the elderly, meaning those over age 55 and very bad news for those over 65.
Mqurice |
