Bird Flu Information

About Bird Flu
Aug 8, 2006

Many people have questions about the bird flu that has been covered in the media lately. Different types of bird flu are common throughout the world, but this particular strain of concern is known as the Asian strain of highly pathogenic H5N1 Avian Influenza.

To date, this type of Avian Influenza has not been detected in the United States or anywhere else in the Western Hemisphere. The virus does not easily infect people and rarely spreads from human to human. Human cases of this type of Avian Influenza have occurred in countries where people have daily close contact with domestic poultry and poultry excrement.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department is working with other state and federal agencies to monitor the status of this virus around the world and respond in the event that a case is detected in Arizona.

Safety Recommendations

Meantime, hunters and others who handle birds should continue to follow reasonable safety recommendations for this virus and other diseases that affect wildlife, including:

• Don’t harvest or handle birds that are obviously sick, abnormally tame or found dead.
• Wear rubber gloves when cleaning game or bird feeders.
• Do not eat, drink or smoke when cleaning game or bird feeders.
• Wash hands carefully with soap and water or alcohol wipes immediately after handling game. Then disinfect tools and work surfaces with a 10% chlorine bleach solution.
• Cook birds thoroughly to kill disease organisms and parasites.

Resources

The most current information about this type of Avian Influenza can be found at Web sites that are regularly monitored and updated, including:

• U.S. Government
  www.pandemicflu.gov
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/
• U.S. Department of Agriculture
  www.usda.gov/birdflu

Arizona information about this type of Avian Influenza is available by calling:

• Arizona Department of Health Services
  (602) 364-4500 or (800) 314-9243
• Arizona Department of Agriculture
  (888) 742-5334

This information about highly pathogenic H5N1 Avian Influenza was prepared on 8/03/06. Conditions surrounding this type of bird flu are frequently changing, so please seek the most current information through updates on regularly monitored Web sites, including the federal government’s www.pandemicflu.gov.