Communication Messages: Avian Influenza: USAID

Avian Influenza: Key Messages on Prevention and Control of:

Human-to-Human Transmission

Bird-to-Human Transmission

Bird-to-Bird Transmission

Avian Influenza Messaging Concepts (Jan 2006)

Key Preventive Messages on Human-to-Human Transmission of Avian Influenza [top]

Click here to download a PDF of these key messages from USAID.

Human-to-human transmission of avian influenza is extremely rare but it is possible.

• A few instances of human-to-human transmission are suspected; all of them involved close contact with people who had avian influenza.
• If you are taking care of someone who has avian influenza or suspected avian influenza, get guidance from a health care provider about how best to protect yourself.

Know what to do if you think you or someone else has avian influenza

• If you feel sick after contact with someone who has avian influenza, seek immediate treatment.
• If you suspect that someone has avian influenza, take them to a health care provider immediately.
• Until you bring the person to a health care provider, take specific protective actions: wash your hands frequently, wear a mask or cover your mouth and nose with a cloth, have the person who is ill wear a mask or cover their mouth and nose with a cloth (as long as it does not make it harder for them to breathe), and limit the number of people who come within a meter of the sick person to as few as possible.
• Contact your [INSERT RELEVANT HEALTH ORGANIZATION] for additional guidance.

Practice good hygiene at home and in public

• Wash your hands often with soap and warm water. If soap is unavailable, use ash.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.
• If possible, stay home from work, school and errands when you have any symptoms of respiratory illness, including a bad cold.

Click here to download a PDF of these key messages for prevention and control of human-to-human transmission of Avian Influenza from USAID.

Key Messages on Prevention and Control of Bird-to-Human Transmission of Avian Influenza [top]

Click here to download a PDF of these key messages from USAID.

It is very difficult for humans to get avian flu, but if you have signs of a serious respiratory illness, get care.

• If you become sick with a high fever after contact with dead or sick birds, seek immediate treatment.
• If you suspect that someone has avian influenza, take them to a health care provider immediately.

Avoid close contact with birds.

• Do not touch dead or sick birds with bare hands; use gloves.
• If poultry have to be kept indoors (for example, during winter in cold climates), keep in a specific area away from where the family sleeps and eats.
• Do not let poultry into your house.
• If possible, do not let children collect eggs and keep them away from birds - including birds if they are not kept indoors all the time.
• Do not let children help with slaughtering or preparing poultry or wild birds.

Take precautions if you unintentionally come into contact with poultry or poultry feces in an affected area.

• Wash your hands well with soap and water (or ash if soap is not available) after each contact with wild birds or domestic poultry or bird feces.
• Remove your shoes outside the house and clean them of all dirt.
• If you develop a high temperature, visit a doctor or go to the nearest health care facility immediately.

Take precautions in preparing and consuming poultry meat and eggs.

• The greatest risk of exposure to avian influenza is through the slaughter and handling of infected poultry. Remember that not all infected birds show signs of illness, so be careful when slaughtering any poultry.
• Good hygiene practices are essential during slaughter and post-slaughter handling to prevent exposure via raw poultry meat or cross contamination from poultry to other foods, food preparation surfaces or equipment.
• Keep raw meat, poultry, fish, and their juices away from other foods.
• After cutting raw meats, wash hands, cutting board, knife and counter tops with hot soapy water, and use bleach if available.
• Ensure that poultry meat and eggs are thoroughly cooked.
• Do not eat eggs or blood unless they are thoroughly cooked. Do not eat runny eggs or meat that is pink. To be safe, egg whites and yellow must be solid. Raw eggs should not be used in foods that will not be cooked.
• Eggs can contain avian influenza virus both on the outside (shell) and the inside (whites and yolk), so it is important to wash hands after handling eggs and to cook eggs thoroughly.
• The avian influenza virus is not killed by freezing or refrigeration, but cooking (temperatures at or above 70°C in all parts of a food item) will kill the avian influenza virus.

Practice overall good hygiene

• Wash hands with soap and water (or if soap is not available, with ash) before and after handling food.
• Use masks and gloves when handling poultry or other birds.
• If practical, change your clothing once you arrive at the workplace, especially if you have poultry in your backyard or come in contact with poultry on your way to work.

Take precautions if you are visiting farms or other areas where poultry are kept.

• When visiting a farm or entering a yard where poultry is kept, wash hands with soap and water (or ash if soap is not available) and after you leave.
• Brush and disinfect clothing, shoes/sandals, and the wheels of bikes/motorcycles/etc. after leaving the area, especially before going indoors.

Workers involved in culling operations should protect themselves.

• Because of the high risk of exposure during the culling process, cullers should wear proper personal protective equipment such as protective clothing, masks, goggles, boots and gloves.
• Cullers should follow a decontamination procedure when taking off their protective equipment.
• Workers involved in mass culling operations, transportation and burial/incineration of carcasses should be vaccinated with the current human influenza vaccine (to avoid coinfection with avian and human strains of influenza).
• Individuals exposed to infected poultry or farms should be monitored closely by local health authorities.
• Thoroughly clean and disinfect equipment and vehicles (including tires and undercarriage) entering and leaving each farm.
• Make sure all equipment used to cull birds is disposed of properly, or disinfected and stored away from other equipment and where children cannot get it.

Click here to download a PDF of these key messages for prevention and control of bird-to-human transmission of Avian Influenza from USAID.

Key Messages on Prevention and Control of Bird-to-Bird Transmission of Avian Influenza [top]

Click here to download a PDF of these key messages from USAID.

There is a new disease called avian influenza that is more serious than other poultry diseases.

• Avian influenza can kill all the birds on a farm very quickly.
• All kinds of birds can get avian flu and can spread it to other birds - chickens, ducks, geese, quails, turkeys, pigeons, wild birds and even pet birds.
• Domestic poultry and humans can get the disease from the droppings, mucus, blood or feathers of infected wild or domestic birds.
• Avian flu looks like other poultry diseases, especially Newcastle disease. Even if you think you know what is making your birds sick or die, still tell authorities, just to be safe.
• Birds that are infected can spread the disease before they show signs of illness.
• Some birds such as ducks can get and spread the disease and never show signs of illness.
• It is possible for birds vaccinated against avian influenza to be infected, but they may not show signs of illness.

If you find any dead or sick birds, report them to the authorities immediately.

• Report instances of sudden death of large numbers of birds immediately to [ authority].
• Report instances of sickness among your poultry immediately to [authority].
• Report any sick or dead wild birds immediately to [authority].
• Protect your community - contacting the authorities immediately will prevent the virus from spreading to other farms in your neighborhood.

If you find any dead or sick birds, handle them properly.

• Do not touch dead or sick birds with bare hands; use gloves (or plastic bags if there are no gloves).
• Dispose of dead birds properly. Wear gloves and a mask and use a hoe or stick to place them in a bag or other container. Keep the container away from animals and from people until the authorities can inspect the situation.
• Dead birds should not be thrown in a river, pond or other body of water.
• If you see one or more birds that look sick, don’t leave them in the yard; take them out of the flock using gloves and place them in a closed cage. Then contact the [authority - e.g. paravet or agriculture extension worker] immediately.

If your poultry or your neighbor's poultry are sick or have died from avian influenza, it is important to cull any surviving birds and disinfect your farm.

• Not all birds that are infected show signs of illness.
• Avian influenza does not just affect you and your farm - it affects your entire community. That's why it's important to cull your sick poultry and those nearby
• You have a responsibility to protect your family and neighbors. If there is infection in your flock or a nearby flock, allow your poultry to be culled
• Do not kill birds yourself - wait for the people sent by the government who will do it properly.
• After your birds have been culled, follow the authorities’ instructions about getting compensation and about disinfecting your farm.

If you are involved in culling activities, practice safe and humane culling procedures.

• Process each lot of birds separately, and clean and disinfect poultry houses between flocks.
• Thoroughly clean and disinfect equipment and vehicles (including tires and undercarriage) entering and leaving the farm.
• Practice good biosecurity: use personal protective equipment and disinfectant.

Don't bring contamination from other farms or markets.

• Make sure you brush or wash off your shoes and the wheels of your bicycle/motorcycle and change clothing after coming back from farms or live-bird markets so you don't carry the virus home on your clothing, shoes, or equipment.
• Clean or disinfect anything coming into the farm that may have contacted poultry or poultry droppings outside the farm. This includes clothing, tools and equipment such as cages, bicycle and automobile tires.
• Do not borrow equipment or vehicles from other farms.
• Do not transport live or dead chickens, ducks or other poultry from one place to another -- even if you think your birds are healthy.
• Don’t bring other animals, such as chicks, ducklings or piglets, from another farm.
• Do not buy or accept animals, eggs or manure from other farms
• If your poultry does not sell at the market, keep the birds separate for at least 14 days before you return them to the rest of your flock.

Separate your poultry from wild birds and any domestic birds that roam free.

• Keep all poultry penned, fenced, or caged and away from other animals and wild birds.
• Keep your chickens separated from any ducks or other birds that roam free.
• Keep poultry away from any source of water that could have been contaminated by wild birds.
• Keep poultry brought to the farm/homestead from outside separate from your flock for at least 14 days.

Regularly clean the areas where poultry are kept.

• Burn or bury feathers and other waste away from the farmyard. Bury waste deep and with lime so that scavengers do not dig it up.
• Clean or sweep feces and unconsumed feed from the yard every day.
• Allow manure to decompose for several weeks to allow any virus to die before using it as fertilizer.

Vaccination can help protect your poultry.

• If authorities recommend vaccination, bring your birds to be vaccinated.
• Vaccination protects birds from illness but not from infection: vaccinated birds can still get avian influenza and there is a small risk that they can spread it.

Click here to download a PDF of these key messages for prevention and control of bird-to-bird transmission of Avian Influenza from USAID.