How are people getting sick from the Asian H5N1 strain of avian influenza?
The Asian H5N1 AI virus is found in the saliva, nasal discharge and feces of infected birds. In countries where this disease is found, families frequently raise birds for their own meals, and ducks and chickens often roam freely and contaminate the neighborhood. Human infections have occurred as a result of these heavily contaminated living areas, and from slaughtering and preparing the birds for food.
