Protecting Workers from Avian Flu

Even though it’s rare for humans to get sick from bird flu, we want you to know how to monitor your health and the health of your family. Symptoms in people can range from no symptoms to mild or severe symptoms, including death. Confirmed cases found in the United States to date have generally been mild. If you work with animals or materials that could be infected or contaminated with H5N1 bird flu, your employer should take steps to reduce your exposure. This includes providing personal protective equipment (PPE) for your use in certain situations and training on how to use it safely.

Steps to Protect Yourself and Your Workers:

1. Infected animals can pass disease to people in their milk, saliva (spit), feces (poop), and other body fluids.
2. Signs and symptoms of infection may include:
   1. Eye redness (conjunctivitis)
   2. Fever (temperature of 100°F (37.8°C) or greater) or chills
   3. Cough
   4. Sore throat
   5. Runny or stuffy nose
   6. Headaches
   7. Fatigue
   8. Diarrhea
   9. Nausea
   10. Difficulty breathing/shortness of breath (call 911 immediately)
3. Personal protective equipment (PPE) should be put on and taken off in areas away from animals
   
   1. Masks
   2. Safety glasses, goggles or face shields
   3. Disposable gloves
   4. Overalls/gown
4. Do not drink unpasteurized milk. Do not take milk home.
5. Wash your hands with soap and water or use hand sanitizer after touching animals or their milk, saliva (spit), feces (poop), or other body fluids.
6. Do not touch your face, eyes, mouth, phone, food, or other commonly used objects until after you’ve washed your hands.

CDC has identified work tasks and settings that may expose you to H5N1 bird flu. These tasks and settings range from low to high exposures. The type of personal protective equipment you should wear depends on the exposure level.

Example work tasks and exposure levels include:

• High exposure: work in milking parlors on farms with animals known to be infected with H5N1 bird flu (affected farms) or with sick or dead animals on affected farms
• Medium exposures: work with healthy non-lactating animals on farms affected by H5N1, or near affected farms
• Low exposures: work that does not involve direct contact with animals, or only includes animal contact in areas without any animals affected by H5N1

Talk with your supervisor or your employer's health and safety committee to understand your exposure levels and how to best apply these recommendations.

 

Resources: 

H5 Bird Flu Videos in English: H5N1 Informational Videos | Bird Flu | CDC
H5 Bird Flu Videos in Español: Videos informativos sobre H5N1 | Influenza aviar | CDC
Interim Guidance: Interim Guidance for Employers to Reduce the Risk of Novel Influenza A for People Working with or Exposed to Animals | Bird Flu | CDC
Bird Flu Guidance for Farmworkers