You can’t watch television or read a newspaper today without hearing something about bird flu across the globe and about the United States government’s efforts to prepare for a potential outbreak of bird flu or for the human version should it mutate to be transmissible from humans to humans. The issue has the potential to be the perfect storm for consumer confusion about animal health, human health, and food safety. So what do we need to know about bird flu?
Birds, like people, can have the flu (short for “influenza”). In a bird’s case, it is referred to as avian influenza and it was first identified over 100 years ago during an outbreak in Italy. Over the years different forms of the disease have appeared from time to time in regions all over the world including the United States. Avian influenza spreads easily among wild birds, but it can also infect domesticated birds including chickens, turkeys, and ducks. Left untreated, the more virulent forms of avian influenza can devastate an entire flock of domestic birds.
Currently a type of this avian influenza virus is affecting birds and poultry flocks in Europe and Asia. This specific form of influenza is designated H5N1. The type being reported is highly pathogenic, which means it can spread rapidly among an entire flock of birds causing their death. The United States does not currently have the highly pathogenic form of avian influenza, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is putting safeguards in place to address the “high path” form if the disease should arrive on American shores. Across the globe scientists are carefully monitoring this flu to determine if it can become transmissible among people.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it is unusual for people to get influenza viral infections directly from animals, although sporadic human infections and outbreaks caused by certain avian influenza viruses have been reported. It is possible that the process of genetic reassortment could occur in a human being who is co-infected with an avian influenza virus and a human strain of influenza virus. Theoretically, people would have little or no immunity to this reassorted influenza virus. This could result in sustained human-to-human transmission and pandemic influenza. Therefore, careful evaluation of influenza viruses recovered from people who are infected with avian influenza is very important to spot reassortment if it occurs.
A clarification of terms: seasonal flu, avian flu and pandemic flu are not the same. - Seasonal flu is a respiratory illness that can be transmitted from person to person. Most people have some immunity and a vaccine is available.
- Avian flu (bird flu) is caused by flu viruses that occur naturally among wild birds. The H5N1 strain is deadly to domestic birds and, in unique circumstances, can be transmitted from birds to humans. There is no natural immunity and currently, there is no vaccine available.
- Pandemic flu is a virulent human flu that causes global outbreak, or pandemic, or serious illness. Because there is little natural immunity, the disease can spread easily and rapidly from person to person. Currently, there is no pandemic flu anywhere in the world.1
|
While some people outside the U.S. have become sick with a form of avian influenza, the H5N1 strain has so far only rarely infected humans. For the most part, these people probably became infected with avian influenza by inhaling the virus from infected birds or by transferring the virus from contaminated hands to their mouth. The virus is found in bird droppings, nasal secretions, and saliva of infected birds. Bird-to-human transmission most commonly occurs through inhalation of the virus. Although human-to-human transmission is possible, and is being investigated as the cause among seven relatives who developed bird flu in Indonesia, the World Health Organization has stressed that the virus has not mutated into a pandemic form and that these cases were contained within family members who had maximum exposure to each infected relative.
According to the USDA, CDC, and FDA, proper handling and cooking provides protection against avian influenza and other viruses and bacteria such as Salmonella and E.coli. These government groups highly recommend that consumers follow these safe food handling practices every day2:
- Wash your hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling raw poultry and eggs.
- Clean cutting boards and other utensils with soap and hot water to keep raw poultry from contaminating other foods.
- Use a food thermometer to make sure you cook poultry to a temperature of at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Consumers may wish to cook poultry to a higher temperature for personal preference.
- Cook eggs until whites and yolks are firm.
In the affected countries where avian influenza is predominantly found, infected chickens and ducks are destroyed to reduce the risk of infection to other healthy birds and to minimize any potential risk to human beings. Awareness and education about bird flu has increased around the world. The USDA recognizes the potential threat to animal and human health. It has increased surveillance and monitoring efforts to detect, contain, and eradicate any infected birds before the disease spreads.
It is important to remember that safeguards have been put in place by USDA and other government agencies to prevent avian influenza from spreading among poultry flocks and to prevent any infected poultry or eggs from reaching consumers. Proper cooking techniques, which should always be used to kill harmful bacteria, will also eliminate avian influenza in poultry and eggs should that virus be present.
Other Resources:
The official U.S. government Web site for information on pandemic flu and avian influenza
http://pandemicflu.gov/
CDC Key Facts on Avian Influenza
FDA Questions and Answers on Avian Influenza (“Bird flu”) and Food Safety
USDA Avian Influenza (Bird flu)
WHO Avian Influenza Frequently Asked Questions
1. Source: Pandemicflu.gov,
2. Questions and Answers About Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) and Avian Influenza A (H5N1) Virus
