U.S. Embassy-Amman

U.S. Embassy-Amman Webchat

	Bird Flu: The Facts
	Guest: Jock Whittlesey Date: 04-Apr-2006 Time: 12:00:00 PM
	H5N1 avian flu outbreaks in poultry began in eight Asian countries in 2003. Since then new outbreaks in poultry and wild birds have been reported in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. H5N1 virus does not usually infect people but more than 186 cases have been reported, with 105 deaths. Most of these cases have occurred from direct or close contact with infected poultry. So far, spread of H5N1 virus from person to person has been rare. If H5N1 virus were to gain the capacity to spread easily from person to person, an influenza pandemic could begin. To prevent this, the U.S. Government, the Jordanian Government and many other governments, organizations and businesses around the world are working to stop the spread of H5N1, to monitor H5N1, to develop vaccines and other drugs, and to prepare for the possibility of human-to-human spread.

Guest Biography [ Hide ]
Jock Whittlesey currently serves as regional officer for environment, science technology and health for North Africa and the Middle East. He previously served as environment, science, technology and health officer at the U.S. Embassy Beijing, China and as an economic officer at the U.S. Consulate, Guangzhou, China. In addition, he served as a Consular Officer in U.S. Embassy Kingston, Jamaica and U.S. Embassy Athens, Greece.

Before joining the State Department as Foreign Service Officer, Whittlesey worked as self-employed computer programming consultant in Washington, DC, California and Hong Kong. He holds a bachelors’ degree in economics, political science from University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in geographic information systems from University of Maryland, College Park.

Webchats Items

[Ahmed Kayali] Can the virus be transmitted through hand contact with poultry meat or egg, and if so, how would it take untill the symptoms of infection appear?

Yes, the virus can be transmitted through contact with infected poultry and eggs, although there is still much that is not known about the way this happens. This is why handwashing is so important.

The symptoms could appear within 2-5 days of infection.

[Andreea Ghezawi] How Tamiflu works?

Tamiflu is an "antiviral" drug. For specifics, please talk to your doctor. There may be additional information available on the internet.

[Ahmed Kayali] what are the best and ideal practicies in dealing with poultry meat or eggs before cooking?

Do the following: 1) wash the poultry thoroughly. 2) Use a clean knife and cutting board for raw poultry and clean the utensils, cutting board and food preparation area with soap and hot water when you are done, 3) use a separate cutting board for poultry, 4) wash your hands thoroughly when you are done with the poultry, 5) keep raw poultry away from other foods.

With eggs, cook them thoroughly and wash your hands when you are done.

majid tukan] How long does the bird live after being infected?

H5N1 affects different species of birds differently. It can kill some types of domestic poultry within 24 hours. Other species of birds are apparently able to live a normal life while carrying H5N1.

[majid tukan] Do all kind of birds carry the virus?

Apparently, water birds such as ducks and terns carry the virus, and domestic birds such as chickens, ducks and turkeys can also get infected and die. It is not known if all types of birds can get H5N1 but many species of birds can.

[Karin Aghadjanian] Is there any business continuation planning in case of an outbreak? .

There should be. It's a good practice. I was in Beijing during SARS and many businesses made their plans as the situation developed. Advance planning is always useful..

[Karin Aghadjanian] The avian flu is highly pathogenic and it can be transmitted through inhalation or contamination with infected discharges or feces of sick chicken. Does that mean if a street cat contacted a dead sick chicken, the disease would be transmitted to it? If yes, would the disease be recombined to form a totally new influenza A virus which is capable to spread to other animals?

There have been cases of cats and other mammals infected with H5N1 avian flu through exposure to infected birds. As for the second part of your question, there is no definite answer yet but researchers are looking into it.

[K Amin] What are the measures being taken for home grown poultry? If they're grown inside the house and the owners make sure they don't come into contact with other birds, are they then safe? What should we do if we suspect our neighbors are growing poultry in their homes?

The Government of Jordan has issued recommendations and guidelines on this issue. Please contact their avian flu hotline at 06-565-7756 for specific information.

[K Amin] It is said that once you defrost the chicken, there might still be a danger of the virus infecting us if we don't wash it properly. Is this true? Are frozen chickens still dangerous?

Until the chicken has been thoroughly cooked (meat at least 70 degrees centigrade), yes, there is a risk that some virus will survive. Proper cooking will kill all the virus.

[K Amin] What are the symptoms of Avia Flu if a human being is infected? Is there medicine for it?

The symptoms are high fever, cough, difficulty in breathing, and general weakness. Tamiflu has been found to be the most effective treatment againt avian flu but it does not cure 100% of the cases. Research into more effective drugs and vaccines is going on now.

[K Amin] Can we eat eggs? How long do we have to boil them?

Yes, you can eat eggs that are properly cooked. Boil the eggs at least 7-10 minutes. Make sure they are hard, not soft and runny.

[Abeer Kakish] I heard that after 4 turkeys were found in the Ajloun area, the turkeys were killed and 20 people living in the area were vaccinated. Is there a vaccine currently on the market to prevent people from getting Avian Flu?

No, the 22 people there received Tamiflu as a preventive measure. Tamiflu is an antiviral drug used for treatment and prevention. It is not a vaccine. There is currently no H5N1 human vaccine but there is a lot of research into one.

[Abeer Kakish] I heard recently that there was a rush on getting the flu vaccine in Amman this season. Would being vaccinated with the flu vaccine prevent or decrease the chances of aquiring Avian Flu?

There are several advantages of receiving the regular flu vaccine. One is that it will protect you from getting regular flu. Second, by reducing the risk of getting regular flu, the vaccine will help prevent confusion between the symptoms of regular flu and avian flu. It will also reduce the chances of the avian flu virus changing into a more dangerous form.

[Abeer Kakish] What are the chances that one will survive if he or she is infected with Avian Flu?

With early and adequate treatment, the chances of survival are high.

[Neveen Zeit] There are rumors that fish might be infected by the avian influenza. Is this true? If yes, What precautions should we take?

The US Centers for Disease Control does not list fish in their list of animals that can get H5N1. They list pigs, tigers, leopards, ferrets and household cats.

[Neveen Zeit] Are there specific kinds of food that help enhancing the immunity system against the avian influenza?

I am not aware of any specific foods that can help you resist avian flu. However, the usual balanced diet is essential to keep your normal immunity high.

[Neveen Zeit] Since the symptoms of the avian influenza are similar to the typical influenza, how can we differentiate between both, and when do we start to worry?

There are two factors that BOTH have to be present in the patient: a history of exposure to poultry AND severe symptoms of influenza such high fever, cough, and difficulty in breathing. If both factors are present, this would make the doctors suspicious enough about the presence of avian flu to order a specific lab test. The lab test is the only way to truly confirm that the patient has H5N1 avian flu.

[amer sawalha] Hi, what kind of birds can be infected?

H5N1 is able to infect both domestic poultry and wild birds. It is more dangerous to domestic poultry. Most wild birds seem to be able to carry the virus and still stay alive.

[ashraf Oweiss] is cooking enough to kill H5N1 virus?

To kill the virus completely, you should cook the poultry thoroughly, in other words all of the meat should reach at least 70 degrees centigrade. For eggs, cook fully. They should not be watery, soft or runny. If you do that, there is no risk of infection. Remember to keep raw poultry and eggs away from other foods until they are cooked.

[ammar izwini] hi mr Whittlesey.
iam asking about your expectation for devlopmnet to this disease and are there any treatmnet for it ?
and if the worled cannot stoped him what your expect about him deployment?
soory for my week languge and accept all my
considering with successfull to your

There are two drugs which help to treat avian flu but they are not 100% effective. There is no vaccine (a medicine used to prevent people from getting infected) yet. There is a lot of medical research for drugs to use against H5N1. No one really knows if H5N1 avian flu will start spreading easily from person to person. I think we can expect some sort of pandemic (global disease) in the future. We don't know when and we don't know if it will be H5N1. The best thing to do is to practice good hygiene (washing hands) and preparing food in a clean and safe way (cooking thoroughly).

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