Public health management
Important Information
- Infectious agent: Influenza A virus. A number of influenza A viruses are found predominately in birds, known as avian influenza. Avian influenza can be categorised into low pathogenic AI (LPAI) or high pathogenic AI (HPAI), and this categorisation reflects virulence in birds.
- Transmission: Avian influenza does not easily spread from birds to humans. It can be spread to people who have had close contact with infected birds, including poultry, or their contaminated materials, environments or equipment. Contaminated materials include feathers, faeces, or other waste from infected birds.
Since 2021, the HPAI H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4.b strain of avian influenza has spread rapidly across all continents except Australia. Spillover detections in terrestrial and marine mammals have been reported, resulting in some human infections. Avian influenza does not easily spread from mammals to humans but can be spread to people who have had close contact with infected animals, their materials or environments.
People infected with an avian influenza do not easily transmit the infection to others. When person-to-person transmission has previously occurred, it was following close contact with a sick person over several days.
Eating properly cooked poultry products, such as chicken and eggs, does not result in an avian influenza infection.
- Incubation period: Symptoms generally appear between 2 and 10 days following exposure to the virus.
- Infectious period: Cases should be considered infectious from 1 day before symptoms begin until 7 days after symptoms begin. Severely immunocompromised people may be infectious for longer periods and should be considered on a case-by-case basis.
- Signs and Symptoms: Most people will experience mild symptoms, or no symptoms at all. However, some strains can lead to severe illness in some people. The most common symptoms are sore, irritated, red eyes, or conjunctivitis.
Avian influenza virus can also cause symptoms similar to seasonal flu, including fever, coughing, sore throat, difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, headaches, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, diarrhoea.
- Case exclusion: Isolation of a person with avian influenza and the use of personal protective equipment by those caring for them helps minimise the risk of disease spread.
- Contact exclusion: No exclusion required.
- Treatment: Antiviral drugs used for seasonal flu are likely to work against avian influenza and are used to treat people with avian influenza virus infections.
- Immunisation: Annual influenza vaccination against the seasonal human influenza is recommended for all people aged > 6 months. This may protect people exposed to avian influenza from dual infection.
- Case follow-up: May be conducted by public health units and the Communicable Disease Control Directorate as required.
Guidelines
Notifiable disease data and reports
Further information
Last reviewed: 24-06-2024