Why bird flu is always a ‘red flag’: Canadian health care experts break it down
viruses and do not easily transmit between humans.” However, an animal influenza virus like the bird flu “may occasionally infect humans through direct or indirect contact.”The virus, according to Bogoch, is not easily transmitted from birds to humans and it’s not easily transmitted from humans to humans either. He noted that cases of bird flu in humans have been rare since the flu strain first emerged in 1996.
While there’s no clear answer to that according to Bogoch, there certainly are ways to prepare for the possibility on an individual and government level.For preventative measures on an individual level, Bogoch said people shouldn’t pick up or deal with dead or sick birds, whether they be wild or on a poultry farm.Story continues below advertisement
“At a government level, at a public health level, we should really be actively pursuing vaccination strategies for bird flu,” Bogoch said, noting that it’s already “being done.”