Treatment and Prevention
There is no vaccine currently available to protect humans from bird flu, although one is under development. There are treatments to help those people with bird flu. M2 inhibitors (such as amantadine*) and neuraminidase inhibitors (such as oseltamivir and zanamivir) are the two classes of medication that are available. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) has found that the bird flu viruses in fatal cases in Vietnam are usually resistant to the use of M2 inhibitors.
Preventing the spread of bird flu is a global effort. Steps taken to prevent the disease or stop the spread of disease include:
- destroying birds carrying or suspected of carrying the virus - When the virus is detected in birds, the priority is to quickly reduce the chance of spread of the disease to humans by detecting and destroying infected and exposed birds. The virus dies if heated at 56°C for 3 hours or 60°C for 30 minutes.
- disinfecting farm equipment, clothing, and boots - Boots and other farm equipment, and even rodents can act as vehicles that move the virus from farm to farm. Removing the virus from areas of infection requires the use of disinfectants like formalin and iodine compounds.
- limiting, restricting, or banning the shipment of live birds within and between countries that have had bird flu epidemics - Spread of the virus from farm to farm is possible due to the virus being excreted in bird droppings. Quarantine of farms is necessary to reduce the spread of the disease.
There are ways to protect yourself from catching the bird flu. People who are traveling in areas where the bird flu has occurred need to take special precautions to reduce the chance of exposure to the bird flu virus. Keep these tips in mind when traveling:
- Get a flu shot. It won't prevent avian influenza, but it can prevent some strains of human influenza. This helps avoid the situation of becoming infected with both avian and human influenza at the same time. Having both infections increases the risk that the avian and human viruses will share genes, leading to potentially dangerous virus mutations.
- Avoid small farms where birds are grown in large numbers.
- Avoid raw eggs and foods made with eggs (e.g., mayonnaise, ice cream).
- Avoid open air markets.
- Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer or wash your hands frequently. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are better at killing bacteria and viruses than hand washing.
*All medications have both common (generic) and brand names. The brand name
is what a specific manufacturer calls the product (e.g., Tylenol®).
The common name is the medical name for the medication (e.g., acetaminophen).
A medication may have many brand names, but only one common name. This article
lists medications by their common names. For more information on brand names,
speak with your doctor or pharmacist.