People at risk for avian influenza are:

– Working in contact with farm animals (breeders, technicians from cooperatives, veterinarians)

– Living in contact with farm animals (for example farming families in developing countries where people live close to animals)

– Being in contact with wild animals (game warden, hunter, poacher)

– Participating in interventions (for euthanasia, cleaning, disinfection of farms, collection of corpses, rendering.)

– The staff of zoos or animal shops housing birds.

– Technical laboratory staff.

Risk factors for bird flu

To contract bird flu, you have to be in contact with the virus. Thus, the risk factors are:

– Direct or indirect exposure to living infected animals.

– Direct or indirect exposure to infected dead animals.

– Exposure to contaminated environments.

The avian influenza virus is transmitted by:

– by dust contaminated by the droppings or respiratory secretions of birds.

– The person who is contaminated is either by the respiratory route (he breathes these contaminated dust), or by the ocular route (he receives a projection of these dust or excrements or respiratory secretions in the eyes), or by contact with the hands (which are then rubbed on the eyes, nose, mouth, etc.)