About Bird Flu Protection

Classified Polnews

This page contains some basic information about protecting your and your family from bird flu. Regardless of what you do, you should consider getting a flu vaccinatin against flu and bird flu. Some of the current vaccines seem to provide protection. You can get information about the availability of the vaccine for bird flu at the link above.

Here are ways to preventing the spread of bird flu. This information has been gathered from many sources including the World Health Organisation information on bird flu.

First you should, unless absolutely necessary, avoid contact with birds and poultry and anything related to birds and poultry.

Please recognize that children are at a particularly high risk to bird flu. They have to be taught some basics about bird flu protection and the dangers of bird flu.

To protect your and your children against bird flu, your entire family should:

avoid any contact with anything related to poultry or birds. That includes feathers, feces and places that they congregate.
not have any birds as pets.
wash your hands frequently with soap and water and particularly after any contact with anything that may remotely have been in contact with birds.
not sleep, camp or go near birds or poultry. The dust that flies up aroung them may carry bird flu virus.
not transport poultry or go near trucks transporting poultry.
take shoes off outside your house and do not bring them inside until you are sure that they are not contaminated by the bird flu virus.
understand the preparation of birds exposed to or infected with bird flu for consumptions is dangerous. Know the source of your birds. Don't eat any birds that come from an area that is suspected of having bird flu.
understand that eggs can carry the bird flu virus. They can be as dangerous for bird flu and the poultry can be.

If You Are Ill It Might Be Bird Flu Or It Might Not

If you have any illness, be careful with secretions from your nose and mouth. And be particularly careful around children.

When you cough or sneeze, always cover your nose and mouth.

Do not use handkerchiefs. Use tissues. Tissues should be once and safely discarded.

Children should be taught the importance of washing hands. They are not only a danger to themselves, but they can transport the bird flu virus to the entire family.

About Cleaning And Decontaminating

When cleaning anything that might have been in contact with the bird flu virus, were goggles, a cloth over your nose and mouth, disposable gloves and protective clothes. Plastic bags can double as protective gloves and can be worn over your shoes.

Clean shoes with soap and water. When doing so, do not create a dust or get particles on your clothes.

After washing clothers with hot water and soap, hang them in the sun to dry.

Put all contaminated items in plastic bags for disposal.

If you cannot clean something properly, destroy it.

Shower and wash your hair.

Above all, always wash your hands with soap and water. You cannot do this too much.

Food Preparation

No poultry from an area affected by bird flu should be used for food.

The person preparing food is in danger of catching bird flu.

Food cooked about 70 degrees C is considered safe to eat. It should not have any pink meat and there should be no pink juices.

Eggs should be washed and stored outside your refrigerator in a special bowl. They can carry bird flu virus on the shells and in the egg itself. Eat hard boiled eggs - boiled more than 5 minutes and heated about 70 degrees C.

All foods should be cooked above 70 degrees C internal because it may have, somewhere in the supply chain, been exposed to the bird flu virus.

If you think you have come in contact with the bird flu virus

Touching a bird's body, walking in bird feces or contaminated soil, touching feathers or being exposed to dust from poultry or bird nesting area and any other contact with bird related parts requires action.

take your shoes off before you come into the house. Only clean them using the procedures listed below.
wash your hands with plenty of soap and water.
follow the decontamination procedures above.
monitor your temperature. Check it once a day for at least 7 days. If you develop a fever, contact your doctor

If You Did Not Find What You Want Here, Use This Search Box