Travel Vaccines For The Bird Flu
Hopefully, all Americans who are advised to receive the seasonal flu and H1N1 (formerly known as swine flu) vaccines, have done so. There is another flu virus that is a potential threat to international travelers. Is ‘Bird Flu’ on your itinerary?
The “bird flu”, Avian Influenza H5N1, generally infects poultry and birds. However, there is also a risk to international travelers. The disease has a high mortality rate, and people traveling internationally should speak with their doctors about ways to reduce the risk of contracting it. There is no commercially available vaccine for the bird flu, unlike meningitis, typhoid, yellow fever and hepatitis, and it is typically resistant to most anti-flu medications. In most cases, humans get the disease from contact with live infected bird and poultry, or their droppings. It is rare for there to be transmission between two humans.
An especially bad strain of the bird flu has been reported in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe. This strain has been known to affect humans. Outbreaks of the bird flu have been reported in Egypt, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia and China in the last year. Recently, health authorities in Egypt have reported a fatal case of the bird flu in an 18 year old woman, who was said to have had contact with infected poultry. This begs the questions, what precautions should a traveler take?
Stay away from poultry farms and live animal markets.
Regularly was your hands with soap and water.
Use alcohol based sanitizers if soap and water are not available.
Make sure that all eggs or poultry has been thoroughly cooked before eating them.
Use soap and hot water to scrub clean any surface that has been in contact with raw poultry. This includes utensils and cutting boards.
Do not purchase feathers or feather products from high risk areas.
If you are traveling to a high risk bird flu area, seek medical attention if you or a fellow traveler develops flu-like symptoms.
Effective travel vaccinations can prevent many diseases abroad. Sadly, other diseases such as bird flu, norovirus, traveler’s diarrhea and malaria does not have any available vaccines. In order to stay safe and healthy, there are other strategies that travelers need.
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