1. Travel Wisely
Minimize your risk of catching the bird flu by avoiding places where outbreaks commonly occur. Most outbreaks take place in Southeast Asia, although significant epidemics also have occurred in Africa and the Middle East. Stay current on current World Health Organization statistics that track newly reported cases of avian influenza. Get the vaccine that protects against the H5N1 strain of the bird flu if you plan to travel to a country in which the disease has spread.
2. Avoid Live Poultry
Most cases of avian influenza result from direct contact between humans and sick birds. Avoid handling live poultry and wild birds of all sorts. Watch what you touch if you visit a poultry farm, and remember that you can contract the condition by touching raw eggshells contaminated with the virus.
If you travel to a part of the world in which outdoor poultry markets are common, exercise particular caution. These markets are hotbeds for avian influenza transmission, with thousands of birds cooped up together in close quarters. On the whole, you'd be wise to avoid them altogether if you can. However, if you do enter one, do not handle any birds, live or dead, or their eggs. You should also avoid close contact with the merchants who sell poultry products in these marketplaces.
3. Sterilize Your Kitchen
While cooked chicken meat poses no risk, scrub down anything that came into contact with any raw poultry you prepare at home. The heat from cooking kills the virus, but it will remain on any cutting boards, kitchen surfaces, dishes and utensils that touched the uncooked meat. Cleansing also reduces the risk of salmonella.
