Bird Flu Prevention in Children

Vaccines, the Most Reliable Prevention: Vaccines are the most sure way to protect anyone from getting a disease. However, at this time, vaccines to the H5N1 virus are not yet available to the public and a pandemic flu vaccine would not be available for months after a pandemic were to happen.

Frequent Hand Washing: Preventing bird flu in children is really the same as in anyone else. Until a vaccine is available, frequent proper hand washing is a good way to help prevent the spread of diseases. Kids stick their hands in their mouths a lot. Especially take care to wash hands after being outside and before eating. You can make handwashing fun by making sure they can reach the sink and providing fun soaps. Use an alcohol-based hand cleanser when soap and water is not available.

Avoid Public Outings: Avoid public settings, such as schools, during an influenza outbreak. Keep kids at home and avoid Top 10 High Bird Flu Risk Activities.

Reduce Stress: You can keep kids busy with home schooling activities to keep up with their school schedule and reduce stress caused by a change in their routine. The Internet, a digital camera and the telephone can be used to keep them in touch with their friends.

Avoid Contact with Infected Poultry, Eggs, Poultry Feces and Feathers: Keep kids away from poultry during bird flu outbreaks. Feces are especially loaded with virus and even feathers can have virus present, so try not to bring manure and feathers into the house on shoes and clothing. Make sure that those who care for poultry change their clothes, shoes and wash their hands before coming into contact with kids. See Biosecurity for the Birds advice from the United States Department of Agriculture.

Cook Poultry Products Well: Follow the Tips to Cooking Poultry in order to make sure your food is safe. Properly cooked poultry products are perfectly safe to eat, but you need to be careful handling raw meat. Do not let children handle raw meat, eggs or blood from poultry. Poultry and eggs should be cooked thoroughly (to over 165 F, 70 C) and you should not eat blood from poultry, unless it is cooked.

Wash egg shells before cracking them and cook eggs thoroughly.

Keep Routine Vaccines Updated: Routine vaccines will not prevent children from getting bird flu, but they do help to keep children healthy. The Centers for Disease Control also recommends that children under 2 get a seasonal flu shot. Also ask your doctor if s/he recommends a pneumonococcal vaccine (PPV23) for your child. Pneumonia is a common complication of influenza.

Antiviral or Flu Drugs: Antiviral drugs are used in the treatment of influenza, including bird flus, in order to reduce the severity of the disease and help prevent complications. Only the antivirals oseltamivir (Tamiflu ®) and zanamivir (Relenza ®) are effective in treating bird flu, but Relenza ® has not been tested in children under 7 years-old and oseltamivir (Tamiflu ®) is not recommended for children under 1 year-old.