Spring break travelers should exercise caution with bird flu

Currently, the virus has spread to three or four continents but been contained to infected birds and people who have been in close contact with them. However, the more the virus spreads in the bird population, experts say, the greater the chance that the virus will mutate and then be able to spread human to human.

"The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) is a traveler's best source of information," said James Westman, director of the student health center and co-chair of the flu pandemic committee at Purdue. "The agency posts notices on its Web site to let us know where the trouble spots are."

There are four levels of notices for international travelers.

The first level, "In the News," is for countries with sporadic cases of a disease. The risk for an individual traveler does not differ from the usual risk in that area.

An "Outbreak Notice" is issued for countries with a limited outbreak of a disease. The risk to travelers is limited.

A "Travel Health Precaution" is issued for outbreaks greater in scope but not yet warranting a recommendation against travel to a specific area. There may be recommendations limiting exposure to a defined setting, such as poultry farms or health-care settings.

The most severe level, a "Travel Health Warning," is issued for countries where there is evidence that an outbreak is expanding. The CDC recommends against nonessential travel at this level because a disease of public-health concern is expanding outside the areas or populations that were initially affected.

Currently, the CDC has not recommended that the general public avoid travel to any of the countries affected by avian flu virus, but persons visiting areas with reports of outbreaks among poultry or humans are advised to follow some basic guidelines:

Travelers should avoid all contact with poultry (chickens, ducks, geese, pigeons, turkeys and quail) or any wild birds and avoid settings where infected poultry may be present, such as commercial or backyard poultry farms and live poultry markets. Also, travelers should not eat uncooked or undercooked poultry or poultry products, including dishes made with uncooked poultry blood.

For up-to-date information on travel notices, precautions and warnings, visit the CDC Web site.

Information about Purdue planning and other topics related to the potential pandemic is available on the Web. Individuals can register there to receive alerts when the Web site has been updated.

Writer: Jeanne V. Norberg, (765) 494-2084; (765) 491-1460 (c); jnorberg@purdue.edu

Sources:

Carol Shelby, (765) 494-7504, cshelby@purdue.edu

James McGlothlin will be traveling for the next week, (765) 532-2921 (c); (765) 496-6359, jdm3@purdue.edu

James Westman, (765) 494-1720, (765) 743-7499 (home), westman@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

Related Web sites:
Purdue flu pandemic planning

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