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/