Prevention of Bird Flu

Surveillance: Keeping track of where bird flu cases break out in poultry, other animals and in humans is mostly the role of country governments. The World Health Organization provides surveillance support. The WHO seeks to confirm bird flu cases and deaths and may use computer mapping (Geographic Information Systems) to help local officials plan containment strategies. The pitfalls of surveillance lie in unreliable data or untimely reporting of diseases.

Laboratory Competence: Bird flu symptoms alone are not enough to determine if an illness can be attributed to bird flu. Rapid antigen tests are not as sensitive in detecting influenza as laboratory tests that isolate the genetic material of the virus (RNA) for identification. Prevention of bird flu measures involve proper identification of the disease-causing agent. A weakness in laboratory readiness in many countries is that tests may be too expensive to perform regularly.

Participation and Communication: Individual Pandemic Preparation Planning should help slow or prevent the spread of a pandemic flu. The fewer human cases there are, the less likely it is that a new avian flu virus in humans will emerge and become very contagious. Pandemic stockpiling for 12 weeks has been recommended. Community participation in planning and decision making is necessary for the success of emergency measures, such as the culling of animals. Ignorance, mistrust and poverty can lead to breakdowns in communication and participation. See why backyard chickens in a developed country are not likely to cause avian flu in humans.

Government Policies: Goverment policies affect important prevention measures such as: timely reporting of diseases, solid surveillance programs, laboratory preparation, community participation, the ability to plan for emergencies and enforce emergency measures, the ability to stockpile poultry vaccines, antibiotics, and antiviral drugs and deliver them, and the level of access to healthcare.

Personal Hygiene and Healthcare: Frequently wash hands with soap and water and avoid contact with sick animals and people. Maintain general health by updating routine vaccinations, getting a seasonal flu shot, eating right and exercising. Receive medical care if bird flu symptoms are detected. Treatment with antiviral drugs can reduce the severity of the flu if taken within 24-48 hours of the onset of symptoms. Nevertheless, antiviral drugs, such as Tamiflu, have not been very successful in preventing death from avian flu so far. More studies are needed to determine the effectiveness of antiviral drugs in treating avian flu.

Food Safety: Follow the tips to cooking poultry safely. Well cooked poultry and eggs are perfectly safe to eat. Avoid cross contamination of raw meat with cooked meat. Always disinfect cutting boards with 4 teaspoons of chlorine bleach to one gallon of water before re-using them. Do not eat uncooked blood from poultry.

It's not clear how people could become infected with the H5N1 avian flu virus via the gatrointestinal tract, but it does seem some people contracted the virus in Vietnam after drinking blood from poultry. Blood from infected animals contains high levels of avian flu virus.

Follow Best Practices for Poultry Farmers: Poultry farmers should cooperate with their country's governments in the effort to contain bird flu. In the US, farmers should be familiar with Biosecurity for the Birds to protect poultry from diseases introduced from outside the farm and participate in the voluntary USDA reporting program. Learn how to spot bird flu among your flock. Report suspicious deaths to the USDA. Protect those who must be in direct contact with poultry. Wear gloves, rubber boots, and properly fitted face masks.

Rapid Response to Human Outbreaks: Rapid response to human outbreaks of bird flu will reduce human deaths and the possibility of human-to-human transmission. The outcome of rapid response will also reduce the possibility that the bird flu virus will mutate or result in reassortment to create a very contagious novel virus in humans. The correct use of antiviral drugs and seasonal flu vaccines play a role in the response to human outbreaks of bird flu.