Public should take H5N1 precautions despite low risk

Cases of the H5N1 avian flu have been spreading in animals, with the first human death recently reported. The 65-year-old man from Louisiana had underlying health conditions as well as exposure to chickens and wild birds. The CDC says risk to humans is low as the virus has not spread from human to human.

“The risk to the general public is deemed to be low at this time, but [some] groups are more at risk like people who are working in commercial farming [or] keep backyard flocks of birds,” said Katrine Wallace, PhD, an epidemiologist in the University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health.

HHS recently awarded $306 million to avian flu response. According to Wallace, this funding will help experts monitor the disease and should not indicate to the public that it’s likely to spread. Indeed, current research shows an active but typical flu season with nothing usual reported, she said.

People who work with animals or have exposure to birds should take precautions like wearing personal protective equipment, Wallace said. Members of the general public can protect themselves with a flu shot.

“[Flu shots] will reduce the likelihood of an avian influenza and human influenza recombinant virus. If that happened, it could cause the avian influenza to spread from person to person,” she said. “It’s good to prevent any kind of influenza right now.”