What should the public know about avian influenza in general?
Although an immediate pandemic may not occur, it certainly seems that we are as close to another worldwide pandemic as we have ever been. Human influenza, including avian influenza that may become efficiently spread by humans, is likely to be spread primarily by large respiratory droplets. Therefore, practical issues of controlling respiratory secretions (with coughing, sneezing, etc) and basic hand hygiene are very important. Should a pandemic arise, non-pharmaceutical interventions may become necessary, such as the closing of schools and minimizing large public gatherings. It is realistic to expect that a pandemic may occur in time. In the meantime, I would also not recommend hysteria – eating thoroughly cooked poultry and cooked poultry products should be safe, and even travel to areas with endemic avian flu is considered safe at this time, since human cases have involved intense contact with birds (or, in rare cases, with close family members). Any human infection with avian influe
