OriginThe first known cases of H5N1 bird flu derived from Hong Kong in 1997. The disease is suspected to have come from chickens, which spread to birds. Asia, Africa, the Pacific, Indonesia, and Vietnam have since been infected.
What is it?Avian influenza is a flu infection carried by birds. A mutation of the virus has been found to infect humans. Human cases of the bird flu have contracted the virus from contact with contaminated surfaces, or contact with bird feces or saliva, which can contain contamination for as long as 10 days. The virus is NOT found to be contagious from person-to-person.
Avian InfluenzaBird Flu; H5N1
Risk Factors
Poultry farmers and others who
work/handle poultry
Travelers to affected countries
with known cases of H5N1
People who touch an infected
bird or chicken
Consuming raw or undercooked
poultry meat, or consumption of
poultry eggs or blood from
infected birds or chicken.
What Is This Avian Bird Flu Talk Anyways?
Have you experienced these symptoms lately?
Research conducted by the U.S. National Library of Medicine indicates these symptoms to be directly correlated to the Avian Bird Flu (H5N1). Just over 60% of its victims who became ill from this disease have died.
What should I do if there is an outbreak
on campus?
Students living on-campus and off-
campus should avoid consumption
and contact of poultry altogether.
Sanitization of hands often is a
must. Check you student e-mail
frequently for updates regarding
classes.
If I should become ill with H5N1
symptoms, what should I do?
Contact the Ambrose Health
Center immediately. Avoid direct
contact with others and sanitize
anything you have come in contact
with.
How do I prevent it?
Avoid contact with dead birds, or
wild fowl. Ensure meat is cooked
properly and kept in appropriate
temperatures.
Is there a vaccination?
No. Flu shots are encouraged, but
are not guaranteed to prevent
H5N1.
Since November 2003, more than 400
cases of highly pathogenic human
cases have been reported in nearly a
dozen countries.
In 2003, a New York hospital reported
a case of a low pathogenic case of
avian influenza. The patient was sent
home after a couple weeks in the
hospital.
The first highly pathogenic case of
H5N1 occurred in south-central Texas
where an outbreak of 7,000 chickens
was found to contain the disease. No
transmission to humans was reported.
For More InformationFrequently Asked Questions
United StatesHuman Health Risks
Consult your doctor if further information is required.
Ambrose Health Center is also open for questions and diagnosis. Contact the health center is unusual symptoms or cases are evident:
710 West Starin Road Whitewater, Wisconsin 53190(262) 472-1300
For further information regarding the avian bird flu H5N1, visit the following websites:
Center for Disease Control and Prevention:http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/
World Health Organization:http://www.who.int/influenza/human_animal_interface/en/