COVID-19 VS Bird Flu: Which one is more deadly in its course?

Currently, India is facing a double whammy with coronavirus and avian flu looming large. Know the difference between the two and if you should be scared.

What started in Wuhan, China took the world by a storm and turned our lives upside down. COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, turned out to be the biggest catastrophe the world has seen since the 1918 pandemic. While India initially saw a slow surge in the coronavirus cases, it soon became the second country with the greatest number of cases. To add to the crisis, bird flu or avian flu has knocked on the doors yet again.

With two major diseases looming large in the country, people are bombarded with so much information that they can't seem contemplate the difference between the diseases. To address the dilemma, TheHealthSite asked experts to help readers understand the difference. But first, let us understand what bird flu and coronavirus exactly mean.

What Is Bird Flu?

Also referred to as avian influenza, it is the diseases caused by the H5N1 influenza virus, which occasionally infects humans. These viruses occur naturally among wild aquatic birds worldwide and can infect domestic poultry and other bird and animal species. According to the World Health Organisation, avian flu does not normally infect humans. However, sporadic human infections with avian flu have occurred. Since the first human case in 1997, H5N1 has killed nearly 60 per cent of the people who have been infected.

What Is COVID-19?

COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus that affects the respiratory system. It causes many illnesses, including the common cold and flu. Elderly and people with co-morbidities are more likely to develop severe illness. WHO says that most people infected with COVID-19 virus experience mild to moderate respiratory illness, and may recover soon.

COVID-19 VS Bird Flu

Bird flu and COVID-19, both are flu-like illnesses with many common and overlapping features, which is why it can be difficult to distinguish between the two.

"Both present with symptoms like fever, body ache, cough, cold and breathlessness. Additionally, bird flu patient may develop encephalopathy (damage to the brain) and confusion. Covid patient often have diarrhoea and loss of sense of smell and taste," says Dr Jai Mullerpattan, Consultant Pulmonologist, P.D Hinduja Hospital & MRC.

He added, "While avian influenza can have a high mortality rate, it rarely spreads from one human to another. It usually spreads through exposure to sick birds such as poultry. Covid-19, on the contrary, spreads rapidly between human. However, the mortality rate is low around 1-3% globally."

If Symptoms Are Similar, Is There A Way To Know Which One Is More Virulent?

Dr. Lancelot Pinto, Consultant Pulmonologist, P.D Hinduja Hospital & MRC opines, "Person-to-person spread of bird flu does not occur, and it is predominantly transferred to humans from infected poultry and birds. Bird flu is much more virulent in humans as compared to COVID-19 but is fortunately rare among humans."

"Oseltamivir is an antiviral that has efficacy against bird flu, while Remdesivir is possibly the only antiviral that may have some effect on SARS-CoV-2."

"An RT-PCR for avian influenza (bird flu) would be the test of choice for distinguishing the two and should be sent for all patients with respiratory symptoms in areas where outbreaks of bird flu have been detected in poultry or native birds," he added.

With the many common symptoms, it may be hard to diagnose just based on clinical features. Dr, Mullerpattan says, "History of travel, occupation etc. may provide clues and confirmation by a throat, or nasal swab test would be necessary."