Poultry-handling Practices during Avian Influenza Outbreak, Thailand

According to the article, reducing human and poultry contact is a key strategy to avoiding avian influenza (avian flu or bird flu), and the Thai Ministry of Public Health has pursued an aggressive campaign to educate the Thai population on its prevention. This has included disseminating health messages on avian influenza to the public and healthcare professionals through several different types of media.

This article reports on findings of a survey of residents of rural Thailand regarding avian influenza (avian flu or bird flu) knowledge, attitudes, and practices. Results suggest that public education campaigns have been effective in reaching those at greatest risk, although some high-risk behaviour continues.

The study found that overall, knowledge and attitudes about how to protect oneself from diseases from poultry changed significantly after the respondent heard about avian influenza. In contrast, practices changed less dramatically. Certain practices that did not change significantly were already at somewhat appropriate levels. For example, 77% of persons reported that before they heard about avian influenza, they frequently washed their hands after touching raw poultry. 172 respondents (86%) believed the information they learned about how to protect themselves. When asked how much they changed their actions around poultry and poultry products since hearing about avian influenza, 38 (19%) persons said not at all, 38 (19%) said a little, 62 (32%) said a moderate amount, 47 (24%) said a lot, and 10 (5%) said completely.

The researchers concluded that in Thailand, public health education campaigns and general media reports about avian influenza appear to have been effective in reaching rural people who are at greatest risk of acquiring the disease through contact with backyard poultry. However, despite widespread knowledge about avian influenza and the effective means of protection, many Thai persons have not changed their behaviour. Given the continued presence of poultry outbreaks and ongoing poultry-to-human transmission, the researchers propose that additional efforts are needed to protect humans from infection.

The researchers propose that "to prevent avian influenza, changing the behaviour with the highest risk, touching sick or dead poultry with bare hands, should be attempted through public education and reinforced through behavioural counseling. This message must reach children because they account for more than half of the cases of avian influenza in Thailand. If complete avoidance of sick or dead poultry is impossible, messages should include information on proper hand protection, such wearing disposable gloves or using a plastic bag, and disposal methods."