Avian Influenza

Symptoms of avian influenza include fever, sore throat, cough, headache and aching muscles. It is believed that these symptoms are more severe than seasonal influenza, and this disease has a higher mortality rate. Reported cases of human infection with avian influenza have been low, meaning that an exact incubation period of the flu is hard to determine, but it is estimated to be between three and 10 days.

Individuals in areas where there are outbreaks of avian influenza in birds should take precautions to avoid infection.

The following strategies are important:

• Avoid all direct contact with poultry (chickens, ducks, geese and wild birds), even if the animals appear to be well. Avoid farms and live animal markets.
• Avoid touching surfaces contaminated with poultry faeces or secretions, and avoid contact with fertilisers made from poultry faeces.
• Avoid swimming in water bodies where wild and domestic birds gather.
• Do not eat undercooked poultry meat, organs or blood. The cooking temperature for poultry meat should reach 70°C. Do not place cooked meat on the same surface it was on before it was cooked.
• Do not eat undercooked eggs. Egg yolks should not be runny or liquid. Raw or soft-boiled eggs should not be used in foods that will not be cooked. Wash eggshells in soapy water before handling and cooking, and wash your hands after touching.
• Hand hygiene with frequent hand washing using soap and water (or alcohol hand rub) is a good practice for the prevention of many infectious diseases, including avian influenza. Wash your hands after handling all raw or cooked foods.
• If you think you have been exposed to avian influenza, monitor your health for 10 days. Consult your doctor if you become ill with fever and respiratory symptoms within 10 days of returning from an affected area.

Avian influenza may be treated with anti-viral agents, which must be commenced within 72 hours of the onset of symptoms. Vaccines are not yet available for travellers; however, a vaccine is in development. Typical influenza vaccines will not protect you against contracting avian influenza. It is important that people who are travelling to at-risk areas receive the human influenza vaccine to avoid the risk of the viruses interacting and potentially creating a new, more severe flu strain capable of infecting humans.