Prevention

People in areas where avian influenza is active amongst birds, should take precautions to avoid transmission of avian influenza. The following strategies are important:

• Avoid all direct contact with poultry (chickens, ducks, geese) and wild birds, even if the animals appear to be well. Avoid farms and live-animal markets.
• Avoid touching surfaces contaminated with poultry faeces or secretions, and avoid contact with fertilizers made from poultry faeces.
• Avoid swimming in water bodies where wild and domestic birds gather.
• Do not eat undercooked poultry meat/organs/blood. The cooking temperature for poultry meat should reach 70oC. Do not place cooked meat on the same surface it was on before it was cooked.
• Do not eat undercooked eggs. Egg yolks should not be runny or liquid, and raw or soft boiled eggs should not be used in foods that will not be cooked. Wash egg shells in soapy water before handling and cooking, and wash your hands afterwards.
• Hand hygiene with frequent hand washing using soap and water (or alcohol hand rubs) is good practice for prevention of many infectious diseases, including avian influenza. Wash hands after handling all raw or cooked foods.
• If you think you have been exposed to avian influenza, monitor your health for 10 days. Consult a health care provider if you become ill with fever and respiratory symptoms within 10 days of returning from an affected area.
• Antiviral medications may be appropriate for people who have had contact with a proven human case of avian influenza, or who who have developed flu-like symptoms after exposure to birds or bird-products in an area where avian influenza has been present.