The seasonal influenza vaccine does not protect against avian influenza viruses.

In the event of an avian influenza epidemic affecting humans, it would take at least 6 months to develop an effective vaccine suitable for the virus.

Some antiviral drugs can be used for prevention. This means that if one day, an avian flu epidemic occurs with a virus transmitted from man to man, in an epidemic region, it is possible to take a drug to avoid getting sick. If this happened, the first people treated would be health personnel, in order to be able to treat the sick (nurses, doctors, nursing assistants, etc.)

The mission of the Public Health France organization is to alert the public authorities in the event of a proven avian flu threat (or more generally a threat to public health).

There is a surveillance of wild birds which makes it possible to know the circulation of the various avian viruses.

– During an epidemic:

Farmed poultry are fed indoors because food outdoors may attract wild birds that can transmit the avian influenza virus to them.

Hunting is prohibited in an area of ​​10 kilometers around an affected farm.

For hunters, avoid touching game and putting your hand in your eyes or mouth.

– When an avian flu is suspected in a farm:

 It is necessary to organize a surveillance, then samples for analysis and search for the virus.

– When avian influenza is confirmed in a farm:

We organize a slaughter of all poultry and their eggs. Then destruction on site as well as cleaning and disinfection. Finally, for 21 days, this farm must not receive other poultry. We also set up a radius of 3 kilometers of protection associated with surveillance over 10 kilometers around the breeding area.

On the other hand, measures are taken to protect the people responsible for these slaughtering and disinfection missions, in particular the wearing of masks and strict hygiene rules.

We do not vaccinate poultry against avian influenza viruses because the measures put in place are sufficient to avoid contamination of farms.