Avian influenza (AI) consists of a group of flu viruses that infect birds, but can occasionally infect people, too. AI occurs naturally in wild birds and while most birds do not get sick, AI spreads easily between birds. Wild birds can carry AI worldwide and transmit it to domestic birds, including poultry. Some viruses cause mild illness in birds, while others cause high rates of illness and death among entire flocks.
People occasionally become infected with AI through exposure to bird respiratory secretions (e.g., saliva) or excretions, or to surfaces contaminated by these secretions or excretions. However, the risk to humans is generally considered low for most strains. Symptoms in humans can range from mild influenza-like symptoms (e.g., fever, cough, sore throat, muscle aches), to more serious symptoms, like pneumonia. Dangerous strains of AI, like the “H5N1 virus” circulating in parts of Asia, Africa, and Europe, rarely cause human illness, but can cause serious illness and high death rates in humans. Fortunately, this strain has not been detected in the United States in either birds or humans.
On this page, you will find helpful material and links to information about AI and how you can protect yourself from possible infection.
Adapted from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Avian Influenza website.