Avian influenza (bird flu) is caused by strains of influenza A that normally infect only wild birds (and sometimes pigs). Infections due to these strains have recently been detected in humans.
Prevention
Bird flu vaccine
In April 2007, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first human vaccine to prevent infection with one strain of H5N1 bird flu virus. This new bird flu vaccine isn’t available to the public, but the U.S. government is stockpiling it and will distribute it in the event of an outbreak. It’s intended to help protect adults ages 18 to 64 and could be used early in such an outbreak to provide limited protection until another vaccine — designed to protect against the specific form of the virus causing the outbreak — is developed and produced.
When tested, the bird flu vaccine fully protected only about 45 percent of those vaccinated — about half the effectiveness rate of the seasonal influenza vaccine. However, it still may help reduce the severity of the disease and decrease the risk of hospitalization and death in those who aren’t fully protected.
Recommendations for travelers
If you’re traveling to Southeast Asia or to any region with bird flu outbreaks, consider these public health recommendations:
* Avoid domesticated birds. If possible, avoid rural areas, small farms and especially any close contact with domesticated fowl.
* Avoid open-air markets. These can be interesting places to visit, but they’re often breeding grounds for disease.
* Wash your hands. This is one of the simplest and best ways to prevent infections of all kinds. When you’re traveling, alcohol-based hand sanitizers containing at least 60 percent alcohol are an excellent choice. They are effective, easy to use, don’t require water, and they’re safe for children.
* Watch your kids. Keep a careful eye on young children, who are likely to put their hands in their mouths and who may not wash thoroughly.
* Steer clear of raw eggs. Because eggshells are often contaminated with bird droppings, avoid mayonnaise, hollandaise sauce, ice cream, and any other foods containing raw or undercooked eggs.
* Ask about a flu shot. Before traveling, ask your doctor about a flu shot. It won’t protect you specifically from bird flu, but it may help reduce the risk of simultaneous infection with bird and human flu viruses.
Preparing poultry
Because heat destroys avian viruses, WHO officials don’t consider cooked poultry a health threat. Even so, it’s best to take precautions when handling and preparing poultry, which is often contaminated with salmonella or other harmful bacteria.
* Wash well. Carefully wash cutting boards, utensils and all surfaces that have come into contact with raw poultry in hot, soapy water. Wash your hands thoroughly before and after handling poultry and dry them with a disposable towel.
* Cook thoroughly. Cook chicken until the juices run clear, and it reaches a minimum internal temperature of 165 F (74 C).
Please see the web pages for more details on Avian influenza.

How humans get bird flu
Avian viruses generally don’t affect humans, but in 1997, an outbreak of bird flu in Hong Kong infected 18 people, six of whom died. Since then, human cases of bird flu have been reported in Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Most were traced to contact with infected poultry or surfaces contaminated by sick birds.

Often, flu viruses that cross the species barrier originate in areas where people live in close proximity to chickens and pigs. That’s because pigs are susceptible to infection with both avian and human viruses and so are an ideal “mixing bowl” for genes.

But at least some bird flu viruses don’t need a third party. Instead, they shuffle and rearrange their genetic material directly in humans. That seems to be the case in most instances of human-acquired bird flu. People become sick after direct contact with infected birds or bird-contaminated surfaces, not from contact with other animals.

Direct bird-to-human transmission works like this:

Wild birds shed the virus. Infected migratory waterfowl, the natural carriers of bird flu viruses, shed the virus in their droppings, saliva and nasal secretions.
The virus spreads to domesticated birds. Domestic poultry become infected from contact with these birds or with contaminated water, feed or soil. Bird flu spreads quickly within a domestic flock and is inadvertently transported from farm to farm on equipment, cages, and workers’ shoes and clothing. Heat destroys the virus, but it can survive for extended periods in cool temperatures.
Markets provide pathways to humans. Open-air markets, where eggs and birds are sold in crowded and unsanitary conditions, are hotbeds of infection and spread the disease into the wider community. At any point along the way, humans may pick up the virus through close contact with sick birds or contaminated surfaces. An ailing bird can shed the virus in its feathers as well as in droppings, and some people have contracted bird flu simply by touching an infected bird.
The ease of worldwide travel has the potential to spread bird flu around the globe. And migratory birds can carry the virus from continent to continent along flyways. Outbreaks may also spread locally through unsanitary markets, contaminated clothing and equipment, and smuggled birds.

The greatest risk factor for bird flu seems to be contact with sick birds or with surfaces contaminated by their feathers, saliva or droppings. The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed a handful of cases of limited human-to-human transmission of bird flu. But unless the virus begins to spread more easily among people, infected birds or associated material presents the greatest hazard.

The pattern of human transmission remains mysterious. Young children seem especially vulnerable to the virus, although some experts note that children are more likely to have contact with sick birds or to play on ground contaminated with droppings. What’s more, people of all ages have contracted and died of bird flu. At this point, too few people have been infected to know all the possible risk factors for bird flu. Sorry this was so long. =S

under cooking your poultry. if a bird you are eating has it you will safe as long as you cook it properly.