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TOPICS:
Flu
Information
Travel Precautions
Preparing for
Avian Flu
Reporting Dead
Birds
RELATED:
Seasonal Flu Shots
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Flu Information
Avian / Pandemic Flu Information Overview
(Click the language you prefer to
download. Opens in a new browser window.)
What are the different types of flu?
- Seasonal flu (influenza) is a respiratory disease caused by a
virus that happens each year usually in the winter months. It is
easily spread from person to person and lasts from 7 to 10 days.
Vaccines exist to prevent the flu.
- Avian flu, also called bird flu, is a type of flu normally
present in wild birds. The virus can infect domestic animals
and rarely humans. Right now there is a severe strain of avian
flu virus called H5N1 killing birds in Asia, Africa and Europe.
Since 2003, about 200 humans have been infected. The main
source of infection has been human contact with sick poultry.
- Pandemic flu is any type of flu that becomes a worldwide
outbreak in humans. This happens when the following three
conditions occur:
- A new virus appears
- The virus causes serious illness in humans
- The virus spreads easily from person to person
Two of the three conditions for a pandemic have been met in the H5N1 avian
flu. At this time, however, the virus does not spread easily
from human to human.
Therefore, avian flu is not pandemic at this time.
Is avian flu in the United States?
No. To date, the H5N1 avian flu virus
(the one receiving attention in Asia and other parts of the world) has not been
reported in birds, animals, or humans in the U.S.
More information on Avian & Pandemic Flu:
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Travel precautions
Travelers Health Advisory (English)
[70KB PDF]
Spanish
[109KB PDF]
Ukrainian
[217KB PDF]
Vietnamese
[244KB PDF]
Russian
[211KB PDF]
If you are traveling to countries where
avian flu is present, there are precautions you can take to reduce the
risk of infection:
-
Consult the Centers for Disease Control Travelers’ Health website, or
call the CDC’s international travelers’ hotline at 1-877-FYI-TRIP
(1-877-394-8747).
- Contact the health
department for details at least 4 to 6 weeks prior to your planned
departure date.
- Consult SCHD's Travelers Health Advisory (above).
- Ensure that you have a current seasonal
flu shot and other recommended immunizations.
- Avoid physical contact with live
poultry and eat only well-cooked poultry.
- Practice the
SCHD's Flu
Prevention Tips [105KB PDF]
- For additional information about international travel, including
registration with the State Department so they can better assist you in
an emergency,
click here.
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Preparing for avian flu
Although H5N1 avian (bird) flu has not
been reported in the U.S., it is helpful to think about preparations you
might make. Preparing for the possibility of an H5N1 avian flu pandemic
is similar to preparing for a hurricane. It is also similar to
protecting yourself against seasonal flu and other respiratory
illnesses.
More information on preparing for avian pandemic flu:
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Reporting dead birds
The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation
Commission is cooperatively working with the Florida Department of
Health to track deaths of wild birds to monitor for avian flu and West
Nile Virus. If you notice dead birds, especially waterfowl,
shorebirds or crows, please do not touch or handle them with bare hands.
Please DO let us
know by filling out the following form:
Representatives may come to
investigate and pick up the dead birds, depending on the situation.
If you are advised to bury dead birds, do not touch them with your bare
hands. Use a shovel and disinfect the shovel with bleach
afterward.
Poultry/Wild Bird Safety Precautions:
- Do not touch sick or dead birds
- If advised by the Florida Fish &
Wildlife Conservation Commission to bury dead birds, do not touch
them with your bare hands. Use a shovel and disinfect the
shovel with bleach afterward.
- Wear rubber gloves while cleaning
bird feeders or baths.
- Wash hands with soap and water after
cleaning feeders or baths or touching raw game, poultry, & eggs.
- Eat only well-cooked game, poultry &
eggs.
To contact the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission:
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