Intervention Strategies

What can I do?

Most forms of avian influenza affect only birds, hence the common name “bird flu”.  In birds, the disease is spread through discharges from the eyes, nose and mouth and from bird droppings.  Prevention is based on avoiding contact with droppings or respiratory discharges.  If you own birds, 4 key steps will help you protect yourself by minimizing your exposure to flu virus from the birds.

•    Healthy birds = healthy people.  Monitoring your birds daily for any signs of disease. Influenza causes swelling around the head and discharge from the eyes, nose and mouth.  The Asian strain of influenza causes serious illness and death in chickens and turkeys. 

•    Keep wild birds away from domestic birds.  Keeping wild birds (especially waterfowl) away from your domestic birds, and preventing your domestic birds from being exposed to feed, water and bedding contaminated by wild birds is the key to protecting their health.

•    Avoid sick birds.  If your birds become sick and die, consult a veterinarian promptly.  Don’t buy sick birds or bring any sick birds close to your domestic birds.  Prompt diagnosis is key to limiting the disease spread by preventing sick birds from exposing others.

•    Cleanliness and handwashing. Washing your hands thoroughly after working with birds helps minimize your potential exposure to flu from birds.  Remember flu in birds is spread by the bird’s secretions or droppings.

I have chickens in a backyard coop. They are basically pets who give eggs. I'm constantly being told by people I should put them down now so I don't get sick. Is this overreacting or a real risk? I wear gloves and a face mask when I clean their coop and all eggs are washed.

•    There is no known Asian H5N1 in the U.S. at this time.  There is no known Asian H5N1 in Minnesota either.  Even if it were in the state, sanitation measures and protecting your chickens from wild birds should protect them.  Hand washing is always a good idea after handling animals.

Can I eat a sick or dead chicken or other bird? 

•    It is not safe to handle or eat a chicken or other bird that is sick or found dead.

•    When hunting birds, avoid birds that appear sickly. (Remember that with the exception of game birds that can be hunted under permit, all wild birds are protected with the exception of starlings, house sparrows and pigeons.)

•    MN DNR suggests that hunters should not be overly concerned about avian influenza when handling their game birds. Basic hygiene, primarily hand-washing and use of latex gloves when handling any wild animals or carcasses is always recommended, and game birds should be cooked thoroughly (165F) to kill disease organisms and parasites that might be present.

•    Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

If I buy live chickens or raise my own, are there some general guidelines to assess their health?

•    They should be alert.

•    The eyes should be bright and clear

•    There should be no swellings of the face and no discharge from the eyes, nose or mouth.

•    On the inside there should be no lumps of spots on the liver, no excess fluid in the body cavity, no abnormally colored fat, no abnormal enlargements of internal organs and no streaks of abnormal enlargements of the muscle.

What about getting a flu shot? Will it prevent me from getting H5N1 avian influenza?

•    A flu shot only reduces the affect if you get human flu and it will reduce the number of people who will get sick with regular human flu.

What can I do to avoid highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus infection?

•    Currently the only known risk of contacting highly pathogenic H5N1 in the U. S. is through contact with smuggled poultry or poultry products. Because the status of wild birds is not known they are a potential risk.

•    Travelers to the affected countries should use caution by avoiding live poultry markets and poultry farms.

•    Separate yourself from sources of infection.

What would happen if my chickens or other poultry did have Asian H5N1? How do I dispose of a flock with highly pathogenic avian influenza?  How about manure?

•    The flock would be quarantined while the State or Federal government determined what type of bird flu it was.  If it were the highly pathogenic type the government would depopulate your flock and pay you for any birds that are destroyed.  The government would decide and carry out the proper disposal procedure for the flock and the manure.  The farm would then be sanitized before new birds were brought in.

How do I dispose of poultry that have died from other causes? How about manure?

•    State law permits disposal by rendering, burial, incineration and composting.

•    http://www.bah.state.mn.us/animals/carcass_disposal/carcass_disposal.htm

•    Manure is a good fertilizer but it needs to be composted if it is used on vegetables.

Will feeding wild birds contribute to the spread of avian influenza and do bird feeders pose any human health risks?

•    There is little risk at this time that feeding wild birds would increase the risk of avian influenza.

•    Bird flu is primarily a disease of waterfowl and shorebirds, and is not typically seen in the “back yard” bird species that visit bird feeders.

•    Because wild birds can also carry other diseases – such as salmonella – a number of precautions are recommended for people who keep bird feeders:

o    Wear rubber or disposal latex gloves while cleaning bird feeders or bird baths.

o    Use a plastic bag to pick up any dead birds, and dispose of them in the garbage.

o    Do not eat, drink, smoke, or rub your eyes or mouth after handling birds, until you can thoroughly wash your hands.

Can avian influenza be spread from poultry to wild birds and vice versa?

•    Yes.

What should I do if I find a dead bird on the side of the street or in your backyard?

•    With a plastic bag over your hand pick up the bird and invert the bag over the bird and seal it inside.  Discard in the trash. Wash your hands after handling a dead bird.

Do you want us to report it if we see sick or dead wild birds? Do you want people to submit dead birds for testing, the way you did with West Nile Virus?

•    Neither the Minnesota Department of Health nor the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will be accepting dead birds for H5N1 bird flu testing.  Wild bird surveillance efforts are being coordinated on a state and national level.

•    MDH did test dead birds for West Nile Virus, but that was done to track the presence of the virus in mosquitoes. That isn’t an issue with H5N1 bird flu.

•    If you find a dead bird, simply put it in a plastic bag and put it in the garbage – and then wash your hands thoroughly.

Should I be concerned about contact with wild birds or their droppings? What should I do to protect myself?

•    In general, people should try to avoid contact with wild birds or their droppings – not necessarily because of bird flu, but as a general health precaution

•    If you can’t avoid contact with wild birds or their droppings, wash your hands, and avoid bringing feces into your home on shoes or clothing.

•    Clean your shoes or clothing as necessary.  A bleach solution and exposure to sunlight may be helpful for disinfecting shoes.

How can I help look for highly pathogenic Asian H5N1 avian influenza virus?  What should I do if I suspect bad bird flu in my poultry?

•    The first indication of highly pathogenic avian influenza in poultry is sudden deaths, often without many signs of illness. If you witness such an event contact your veterinarian or state veterinarian. In Minnesota contact Dr. Dale Lauer at the Board of Animal Health, 320-231-5170.

•    If you see sick game chickens or pet birds in Minnesota contact your veterinarian or Dr. Dale Lauer.

•    If you see a lot of dead wild birds contact the Minnesota DNR at: Dr. Michelle Powell, Natural Resources Specialist at 651-296-2663 or Mike Don Carlos, Director of Wildlife Programs at 651-259-5202.

•    Contact Dr. Andre Ziegler, 612-624-1974, at the Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory for information on getting suspect birds examined for diagnosis.  The general phone number for the MVDL is 612-625-8787 or 1-800-605-8787.

•    See this link for more info: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/birdbiosecurity/hpai.html

•    If you have dead poultry or pet birds to report you can also call: 1-866-536-7593

Additional information is available from Dr. Dave Halvorson, Extension Veterinarian, at halvo002@umn.edu or 612-625-5292 or  http://www.cvm.umn.edu/ai