The Scottish Government

Contents

• What is bird flu?

- How does it spread amongst birds?

• Can it infect humans and what are the health risks?

- Can it spread from person to person?

- What are the symptoms?

• Taking precautions

- Is it safe to travel to a country infected with bird flu?

• What if I develop symptoms after leaving an affected area?

• Is it safe to eat poultry, meat and eggs?

• Should I do something if I find a dead bird?

• Why are we so concerned about bird flu?

• What is pandemic flu?

• Are we prepared for bird flu in this country?

This leaflet provides general information on bird flu and the precautions you can take

This leaflet sets out the facts surrounding this potentially serious disease of birds. It explains the difference between bird flu and pandemic flu in humans and addresses any concerns you may have about bird flu.

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What is bird flu?

Bird flu (or avian influenza as it is also known) is caused by an influenza type A virus that mainly affects wild and domestic birds (particularly domestic poultry and waterfowl such as chicken and ducks). It can spread rapidly between birds causing sickness and high death rates, especially in poultry farms and live bird markets where birds are kept close together. There are many different types of the bird flu virus, one of which is a strain known as H5N1, which has affected a large number of countries in Asia, Africa and Europe. Whilst it is extremely contagious between birds, the risk of it spreading to humans is very low. To date, in the UK there has only been one case of the virus in a single wild bird found dead in Scotland and no humans were affected. No other cases have been detected in the UK.

How does it spread amongst birds?

Bird flu spreads through poultry flocks via their saliva, nasal fluids and droppings. Droppings can also contaminate dust, soil, water, feed, equipment and clothing. EU and UK controls are in place to prevent the spread of bird flu. Nonetheless, it remains a remote possibility that bird flu could be introduced to poultry through the migration of wild birds or the illegal importation of live birds.

Can it infect humans and what are the health risks?

The bird flu virus can infect people, but does not do this easily. Recent cases of H5N1 have been caused by close contact with infected birds or their faeces and caused serious illness. Most human cases have occurred in Asia where many households keep small poultry flocks, which often roam freely, sometimes entering homes or sharing outdoor areas where children play. In this country, even if an outbreak were to occur and you came into close contact with infected birds, dead or alive, the risk of catching bird flu remains extremely low.

Can it spread from person to person?

So far, while some instances of spread from one person directly to another have been reported, these have been isolated one-off occurrences with no further spread to people. It is often impossible to determine if human-to-human transmission has actually occurred since the individuals have been exposed to the same animal and environmental sources as well as to one another.

What are the symptoms?

In some cases where bird flu has affected people, it has caused minor conditions such as conjunctivitis (eye infection) and mild flu-like symptoms which can appear suddenly, such as a fever (a temperature of 38 degrees Celsius or more), a cough, shortness of breath, headache, sore throat and muscle aches. However, whilst it is extremely unlikely to infect humans, more severe infections do occur as we have seen from the H5N1 cases in Asia, and they can lead to pneumonia, acute respiratory distress and other serious complications including death.

Taking precautions

Is it safe to travel to a country infected with bird flu?

There are no restrictions on travelling to affected areas. If you are visiting countries with reported outbreaks of H5N1 bird flu among poultry, our advice is not to visit bird or poultry farms and markets, avoid close contact with live or dead poultry, do not eat raw or poorly-cooked poultry or poultry products, including blood, and do not attempt to bring any live birds or poultry products back to the UK. Remember to wash your hands frequently with soap and water. If you experience the symptoms on page 3 whilst abroad, you should seek medical advice locally.

What if I develop symptoms after leaving an affected area?

If you develop symptoms within seven days of returning from an affected country, it is very important that you seek immediate medical attention. Telephone your doctor or ring NHS 24 on 08454 24 24 24 stating your symptoms and recent travel history. Follow the advice you are given.

Is it safe to eat poultry, meat and eggs?

On the basis of current scientific evidence, the advice is that bird flu does not pose a food safety risk for UK consumers. The risk of catching the disease comes from being in close contact with live poultry that have the disease, and not through eating cooked poultry or eggs.

Should I do something if I find a dead bird?

In the interest of good hygiene, dead birds should not be handled. If they need to be moved or disposed of, you should use disposable protective gloves and wash your hands thoroughly afterwards.

Members of the public who find a dead gull, wader, duck, goose or swan in the 'priority surveillance areas' can contact the Wild Bird Surveillance helpline on 08459 335577. Further details of the species and priority surveillance areas are given on the Scottish Executive website at www.scotland.gov.uk/priorityareas

The testing of wild birds is being targeted at certain types of wildfowl thought to be most likely to play a role in the spread of avian influenza, and areas of the country where there is a greater abundance of poultry and water birds.

Why are we so concerned about bird flu?

If a human flu virus mixes with some strains of bird flu such as H5N1, it may cause a new pandemic flu virus to emerge, making it a greater threat to humans.

What is pandemic flu?

Pandemic flu is a completely new strain of a flu virus and different to any currently circulating. As it is different from normal seasonal flu, humans will have little or no immunity to it and it therefore spreads rapidly.

Bird flu is NOT pandemic flu and it is important that you know the difference. Remember that although some strains of bird flu, such as H5N1, can be serious if caught by humans, it is difficult to catch and the simple measures outlined on page 4 will protect you and your family.

Are we prepared for bird flu in this country?

There are contingency plans in place for dealing with bird flu and the State Veterinary Service is prepared to deal with an outbreak. However, since prevention is better than cure, the Scottish Executive are working closely to ensure that good biosecurity measures are maintained by poultry keepers. Good surveillance also remains a key responsibility of both government and the poultry industry in protecting Scotland from an outbreak.

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