Avian influenza is a highly contagious viral disease affecting the respiratory, digestive and or nervous system of many species of birds. Man can become infected but rarely are.

The recent spread of the H2N1 strain of the avian influenza virus, which was originated from South-East Asia in 2003, is the most serious and most international outbreak of its kind ever reported. Since August 2005, the epizootic, which affects both domestic poultry and wild birds (mostly water-flow), has spread from Asia to Siberia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The virus does not transmit efficiently to humans, but it has caused more than 150 deaths around the globe, the people infected had been in very close contact with virus. The virus spread to the European Union in 13 member states and in domestic poultry in five member States of European State.

Although there has been a steady decline in the number of cases since April, a number of domestic poultry farms were infected in Hungary as recently as June. The threat of avian influenza is therefore by no means over and there is also a likelihood that the virus could re-emerge with the new migratory season.

The H5H1 bird flue virus can infected humans and it causes serious illness, but critically it does not spread easily and sustainably between humans. If this sub-type changes to mutant form which can be spread easily and sustainably between humans, it may have a capacity to cause a pandemic, but we can not predict it, when or where this will happen.

Nor can we predict whether the virus would retain its ability to cause serious disease. But we can take precautions to protect humans and we can take action where bird flue is identified in poultry.

Direct contact with infected poultry, or surfaces and objects contaminated by their faeces, is presently considered the main route of human infection by the avian H5H1 virus. Today, most human cases have occurred in rural or urban fringe areas where many households keep small flocks.

As infected birds shed large quantities of virus in their faeces, opportunities for exposure to infected droppings or to environment contaminated by the virus are abundant under such condition. Moreover, because many household in Asia depend on poultry for income and food, many families sell or slaughter and consume birds when signs of illness appear in a flock, rather than disposing of the birds safely and this practice has proved difficult to change.

Exposure is considered most likely during slaughter, defeathering, butchering and preparation of poultry for keeping. There is no evidence that properly cooked poultry or eggs can be a source of infection.

As the greatest risk of infection is through the handling and slaughtering of the infected poultry, FAO has prepared some precautionary measures for stopping the spread of the diseases.

A. Reports sick or dead birds

• Report sick or dead birds to the relevant authorities (or local, equivalent)

• Do not eat sick or dead poultry
• Do not touch sick or dead birds unless wearing gloves
• Do not let children touch or play with sick or dead bids, or touch or pick up bird feathers.
• Do not sell birds from flocks that have come from an affected area.
• Do not move sick or dead birds out of an infected area
• Do not drink unboiled water from pond or well where birds (poultry or wild birds) may have left droppings.
• Do not swim in water (such as lakes, rivers) use by birds.

• Cover your mouth and nose while coughing and sneezing
• Learn the signs of avian flu in humans, very difficult breathing, fever, cough, sore throat, muscle aches, eye infections.
• If you suspect that someone has avian flue try to take care of him/her but keep physical contact to a minimum.
• Try not to sleep in the same room as a person you think may have avian flu.
• If you suspect that someone has avian flue, call for a doctor, or take her/ him to a doctor.
• If you have any sign of avian flue, stay at home if possible and get someone to call doctor.
• If you come in contact without poultry in an infected area, wash your hands well.