Bird Flu Prevention: A Common-Sense Guide

Bird flu has emerged as a growing concern for public health officials and the general population alike.

While the current risk to humans remains low, the potential for ongoing transmission has caught the attention of medical experts worldwide. But what steps can we take to stay up-to-date on bird flu, reduce the risk of bird flu exposure and prevent the spread of influenza-like viruses? Erica Kaufman West, MD, an infectious diseases physician at Franciscan Health Dyer, shares what you should know about the bird flu and practical ways to prevent it among your family and pets.

What Is Bird Flu?

Bird flu, also known as avian influenza, is a type of influenza A virus that mainly infects wild birds. The strain circulating most this year is H5N1.  Bird flu is highly contagious among animals. Once it has been found in a farm animal, it has become standard practice to cull the entire flock or herd to prevent the spread.

For now, the bird flu situation remains primarily an animal health issue with few human cases, but the CDC is watching this situation closely in case this virus changes to pose a greater human health risk.

How Widespread Is Bird Flu?

Bird flu continues to make headlines for increasing numbers of infections found at poultry and dairy farms, as well as spreading to other farm animals and to the humans who work with them. Since January 2022, bird flu has affected more than 168 million birds and nearly 1,000 dairy herds in the U.S.

While the current health risk of bird flu to people is low, there are concerns that the H5N1 virus could jump to human-to-human transmission.

“Obviously we just went through a pandemic, and nobody wants to see that again. Fortunately, cases have been low,” Dr. Kaufman West said. “There are only about 70 confirmed cases so far, at least that have been known and published. I want to point out that that's probably an underestimation. There are probably people with either symptoms or no symptoms that work in the agriculture field that have not gotten tested. So, I think it's underreported.  Having said that, there's been only one death so far, which is also reassuring.”

Am I At Risk For Bird Flu?

Your exposure to animals and birds (and their waste) can impact your risk for bird flu.

While the risks of bird flu currently are greatest for people who work with farm animals, coming into contact with sick birds or animals, dead birds or animal droppings could place you at risk. According to the CDC, people can get infected with bird flu when enough virus gets into a person's eyes, nose or mouth, or is inhaled.

“Almost every case, there've been a handful of those 70 that haven't had a clear source of infection, but almost all of them have been tracked back to a cow or a bird or cat that got infected,” Dr. Kaufman West said. “So, it’s definitely something to watch out for in your own backyard.”

How Can I Prevent Exposure To The Bird Flu?

Common-sense measures can help you reduce potential exposure to bird flu.

Practice hand hygiene

Warmer-weather activities such as visiting petting zoos, county fairs or other events with animals require mindfulness about hygiene, Dr. Kaufman West said.

“Don't touch your face while you're interacting with the animals, then really make sure you clean your hands,” she said.

Even if you aren’t touching animals yourself, you may be in contact with people who were or the surfaces they had touched.

“As we know in fairs and festivals, there's a lot of finger foods. You buy your funnel cake and your corn on the cob,” Dr. Kaufman West said. “So, there's a lot of hand-to-mouth activity at fairs, and so you just want to make sure that your hands are as clean as they can be, especially after you have interacted with animals. So, I think that's the biggest thing from just a general public standpoint.”

Avoid contact with sick or dead birds or animals

You (and your pets) should avoid contact with dead birds or animals, Dr. Kaufman West said.

“You want to make sure you keep your dogs and cats away from dead birds that might be in the yard,” she said. “Don't let your pets eat bird poop. Geese by my house leave quite a trail.  Theoretically, it's a way of transmission. So, keep them away from excrement as well as dead birds. Kids too. I mean, kids wander upon a dead bird, and that's the coolest thing in the world, is to pick it up and bring it home.”

Prevent spread of respiratory infections

Many of the common practices for preventing the spread of respiratory infections can help with bird flu prevention as well.

“As soon as we start to get reports that there's human to human spread, I think that is a really big red flag, because we all know how quickly respiratory viruses can spread,” Dr. Kaufman West said.

Avoid raw milk

The CDC advises not to consume raw milk or raw milk products, especially from animals with confirmed or suspected avian influenza A virus infection.

There is no evidence that the virus can be transmitted to humans through properly prepared food or pasteurized milk. 

How Can I Find Current Information On Bird Flu?

With the vast amount of headlines, social media posts and videos – true and false – available on the internet, how do you make sense of what’s correct information on bird flu?

“I think the CDC is still doing, at least from what I can see, a very good job of tracking the data,” Dr. Kaufman West said. “At the end of every week, they update from the two weeks before how many cases, how many tests were done. So that part still seems accurate. I think the part that is missing is how vocal and informational CDC experts used to be (for the public). They're still doing calls and other alerts[KE1] that are geared toward clinicians to keep us informed. What they have on their website is up to date and inaccurate.

“I know people are worried about it, but as of yet, they're tracking and reporting data on the flu, RSV, H1N1, those have all stayed up to date so far.”

Check sources against CDC, WHO and American Medical Association for reputable medical information.

“If you see another source, it's always good to sort of check back and use the CDC as a sounding board,” she said. “In a way it's more work I think on the consumer to do that. But I do think that it's a good practice to get into.”

What Are Bird Flu Symptoms?

Bird flu symptoms range from no symptoms to mild, flu-like illness to severe illness that requires being in the hospital.

Many symptoms of bird flu are like signs of other flus, according to the CDC. Bird flu symptoms include:

• Cough
• Sore throat
• Eye redness or discharge
• Fever or feeling feverish
• Runny nose
• Fatigue
• Muscle or joint pain
• Headache
• Shortness of breath
• Difficulty breathing
• Altered mental state or seizures.

When Do Bird Flu Symptoms Appear?

According to the American Medical Association, people who may have been exposed to the bird flu should monitor for symptoms daily for up to 10 days after the last known exposure. 

When Should I Be Tested For Bird Flu?

“Anytime that you have exposure to birds or poultry and then you get sick, that's a time to call your doctor and say, ‘Hey, I think I might have the flu and I was exposed to this thing,” Dr. Kaufman West said. “At that point, we can get you to the health department for proper testing because they are trying to keep track, even if it's not a severe illness, of seeing where these outbreaks are occurring.”

If you arrive at a hospital with an influenza-like illness, you’ll likely be tested for the flu.

 “If you are severely ill, we at the hospitals are asked by the CDC and state and local health departments to figure out what type of influenza you have,” Dr. Kaufman West said. “So, if you test positive for flu A and you're severely ill, we will type it or send it to the health department to type it to see if it's H5N1. So, you don't have to do anything differently that will just be done for you.

Can The Flu Vaccine Make a Difference?

“There is some small evidence that preexisting H1N1 antibodies might help,” Dr. Kaufman West said. “We haven't had a lot of flu exposure in general as a country in the last several years. So it makes that vaccination more important, so that you do have some circulating H1N1 antibodies. In general, people that have those H1N1s seem to do a little bit better.”

As medical experts continue to monitor the bird flu situation, staying informed and practicing basic hygiene and preventive measures remains our best defense. While the current risk of bird flu to the general public is low, using common-sense precautions can reduce your future potential exposure.