What is bird flu?
Bird flu - avian influenza - is caused by an influenza type A virus that mainly affects wild and domenstic birds (particularly domestic poultry and waterfoul 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 currently has affected a large number of countries in Asia, Africa, and Europe. It is extremely contagious, but the risk of it spreading to humans is very low.
The current outbreak in birds
The outbreak of avian influenza of most concern to health experts is H5N1. If began in poultry in South Korea in mid-December 2003 and has affected birds in many countries in Asia, Europe, Middle East and Africa. The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) maintains an up-to-date list of countries affected.
EU and UK controls are in place aimed at preventing 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, the illegal importation of dead chickens for consumption or the legal importation of live birds. The Food Standards Agency provides more detailed information about imports and bird flu.
What does this mean for human health?
H5N1 is able to infect people because it is able to cross the species-barrier, although it does not do this easily. In human populations, where wild and domestic birds live in close proximity with people, the mingling and exchange of human and animal viruses can more easily occur.
Those who have become infected have had close direct contact with infected birds. Human infection with avian influenza viruses usually causes mild conditions such as conjunctivitis (eye infection) and mild flu-like symptoms, with one notable exception, the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus. More severe infection can lead to pneumonia, acute respiratory distress, viral pneumonia, and other severe and life-threatening complications.
Outbreaks of bird flu affecting people
Until mid-December 2003 - the start of the current outbreak in poultry - highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) was considered a rare disease of birds.
The first documented cases of bird flu in people appearing in Hong Kong in 1997, when 18 people infected with an H5N1 virus strain were admitted to hospital, six of whom died. The source of infection in most cases was traced to contact with diseases birds on farms and in live poultry markets.
Regularly updated information about human cases of H5N1 is available on the World Health Organisation (WHO) website.
Person-to-person transmission
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 occuring since the individuals have been exposed to the same animal and environmental sources as well as to one another.
What should I do if I come into contact with dead birds?
The advice given here applies in all circumstances where members of the public may come across a dead bird, regardless of whether there is any bird flu in the UK.
Wild birds can carry several diseases that are infectious to people and some simple hygiene precautions should minimise the risk of infection. It is hard for people to catch bird flu from birds and the following simple steps are also effective against bird flu.
If you have to move a dead bird:
- Avoid touching the bird with your bare hands.
- If possible, wear disposable protective gloves when picking up and handling. (If you do not have disposable gloves, see below.)
- Place the dead bird in a suitable plastic bag, preferably leak proof. Care should be taken not to contaminate the outside of the bag.
- Tie the bag and place it in a second plastic bag.
- Remove the gloves by turning them inside out and then place them in the second plastic bag. Tie the bag and dispose of in the normal household refuse bin.
- Hands should then be washed thoroughly with soap and water.
- If disposable gloves are not available, a plastic bag can be used as a make-shift glove. When the dead bird has been picked up, the bag can be turned back on itself and tied. It should then be placed in a second plastic bag, tied and disposed of in the normal household waste.
- Alternatively, the dead bird can be buried, but not in a plastic bag.
- Any clothing that has been in contact with the dead bird should be washed using ordinary washing detergent at the the temperature normally used for washing the clothing.
- Any contanimated indoor surfaces should be thoroughly cleaned with normal household cleaner.
What surveillance is being carried out?
Surveillance gives us early warning of disease, and much is already carried out routinely as part of our veterinary surveillance work.
How is Scotland making sure it is prepared?
In the event of avian influenza occurring in birds Scotland's avian influenza contingency plan would be implemented.
This co-ordinates with the well-established contingency plans held by every local Animal Health Divisional Office and is designed to ensure the rapid control and eradication of avian influenza in Scotland.
For more information go to Agriculture avian flu pages