Update
August 10, 2006
H5N1 Influenza “Avian Flu”
CIEE continues to monitor news about influenza A subtype H5N1 known as Avian Flu.
For fall 2006 CIEE Study Center programs in China, Thailand, Turkey, and Vietnam, CIEE resident staff will address the issue of Avian Flu in their on-site orientation programs. CIEE will schedule program activities keeping safeguards in mind. In addition, staff will distribute information to students on precautionary measures for them to take when they are on-site as well as when they travel away from the program site. Staff will post the precautions in the program office as well as on student notice boards so that there is a visual and on-going reminder about this issue.
For fall 2006 CIEE Study Center programs in France, Hungary, India, Jordan, and Russia, resident staff will continue to monitor local incidents of Avian Flu as reported in the poultry population. Students will be alerted to the Avian Flu situation in the host country, be given information on minimizing dangers during orientation, and will be provided with updates throughout the semester if the situation changes.
H5N1 Influenza “Avian Flu”
CIEE is closely monitoring the news about influenza A subtype H5N1 commonly known as Avian Flu. While there are as yet no reported cases of human to human transmission, we none-the-less believe that it is important for us to be vigilant and exercise caution in areas where poultry to person transmission is possible. We believe as do most authorities that the risks are as yet low and it is possible to continue to study abroad in safe and healthy environments. But, in any situation like this, it is important for students to exercise care and for all of us to reinforce the things they should be doing in these regards. And, we’ll continue to update you from time to time as we have more information.
CIEE is advising students to avoid close contact with poultry and other birds in countries where there have been outbreaks of avian influenza A subtype H5N1. These countries include Cambodia, China, Russia, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam.
Following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, CIEE is specifically recommending the following precautions in order to minimize risk of exposure to avian influenza:
1. Avoid all contact with poultry (e.g., chickens, ducks, geese, pigeons, quail) or any wild birds, and avoid settings where H5N1-infected poultry may be present, such as commercial or backyard poultry farms and live poultry markets.
2. Avoid travel to rural areas
3. Do not eat uncooked or undercooked poultry or poultry products, including dishes made with uncooked poultry blood.
4. As with other infectious illnesses, one of the most important preventive practices is careful and frequent hand washing. Cleaning your hands often, using either soap and water (or waterless, alcohol-based hand rubs when soap is not available and hands are not visibly soiled), removes potentially infectious materials from your skin and helps prevent disease transmission.
5. When preparing food: Separate raw meat from cooked or ready-to-eat foods. Do not use the same chopping board or the same knife for preparing raw meat and cooked or ready-to-eat foods. Do not handle either raw or cooked foods without washing your hands in between. Do not place cooked meat back on the same plate or surface it was on before it was cooked. All foods from poultry, including eggs and poultry blood, should be cooked thoroughly. Egg yolks should not be runny or liquid. Because influenza viruses are destroyed by heat, the cooking temperature for poultry meat should reach 70°C (158° F). Wash egg shells in soapy water before handling and cooking, and wash your hands afterwards. Do not use raw or soft-boiled eggs in foods that will not be cooked. After handling raw poultry or eggs, wash your hands and all surfaces and utensils thoroughly with soap and water.
We also recommend that students traveling to the areas mentioned above consult the following resources prior to leaving the U.S.:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
Directory page for H5N1: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/index.htm
U.S Citizens Living Abroad: http://www.cdc.gov/travel/other/avian_flu_ig_americans_abroad_032405.htm
(Click here to read the January 9, 2006 letter to Advisors and Students attending the Spring 2006 CIEE Study Center Program in Ankara, Turkey)
For general information on the CIEE approach to Health and Safety: http://www.ciee.org/health_safety/safety/emergency_plans.aspx