The Common Cold Slideshow Pictures Natural Cold and Flu Remedies Slideshow Pictures Take the Cold & Flu Quiz

Medical Author:

Mary Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP

Mary Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP

Mary D. Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP is the Chair of the Department of Medicine at Michigan State University. She is a graduate of Vanderbilt Medical School, and completed her residency in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Infectious Diseases at Indiana University.

View Full Profile

Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

View Full Profile

Next Steps

Prevention

• Practice safe food handling practices: As with all meat including poultry, when handling or cooking, wash hands with soap and water and disinfect all surfaces such as cutting boards and countertops that contact any raw meats. Viruses can remain active in raw meat. Cooking kills the bird flu virus in poultry.



• Get informed about foreign travel: The CDC advises travelers to countries with known outbreaks of bird flu to avoid visiting poultry farms or have contact with live animals in food markets. In affected countries, avoid ice cream or other foods that may have been produced with raw eggs. Do not contact any surfaces that appear to be contaminated with feces from poultry or other animals. Wash hands with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand sanitizers. Talk with your doctor about bringing along an antiviral medication should you feel ill with flu. For current travel information and health advisories from the CDC, see their Travelers' Health page.



• If there is an outbreak of bird flu in people, it is possible that antiviral medications might be recommended for healthy people in the area to try to prevent them from getting infected. CDC and the World Health Organization (WHO) have stockpiled millions of doses of antiviral medications. If an outbreak occurs, the CDC or WHO will make recommendations regarding management, including the need to use face masks/respirators or other personal protective measures. Epidemics or pandemics of bird flu in people would likely result in closure of schools or businesses in affected areas as public-health authorities try to limit the spread of the disease. Most communities and hospitals have plans in place to respond to pandemics.

Outlook

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the CDC have banned the import of certain birds from many Asian countries affected by the H5N1 virus strain because of the potential that infected birds could infect humans. This ban includes both live and dead birds and their eggs.

Although it is possible that highly pathogenic bird flu may mutate and spread widely to people, it is encouraging that this has not happened in the 12 years since the first human case was identified. The (WHO) continues to monitor public-health reports for clusters of people with symptoms that might suggest a flu virus is moving from human to human (and not just from birds to humans).