Although Europe & the UK have been dealing with enhanced outbreaks of HPAI H5N1 for nearly a decade - and North America joined that dubious club in 2022 - there remains a fair about of skepticism in the general public over just how big of a public health risk this entails.
As a result, while we see new warnings almost daily from scientists (see here, here, here, here, . . . ad nauseum), few appear to be listening (see Two Surveys (UK & U.S.) Illustrating The Public's Lack of Concern Over Avian Flu).Unlike in Asia, where severe HPAI infections have claimed hundreds of lives, human cases in Europe and North America have generally less severe, resulting in very few deaths.
Last November Hawaii experienced their first incursion of HPAI H5N1. Over the spring their Department of Health sent out a questionnaire to more than 400 flock owners (see Hawaii: Findings From DOH Bird Flu Survey For Backyard Flock Bird Owners And Bird Rescuers).
Among their findings, 2/3rds reported they `. . . were not at all familiar with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Defend the Flock recommended practices to prevent bird flu.'
Today we've a preprint based on another survey of flock owners - this time in the UK - which finds a high level of concern over the safety of poultry - but far less concern over the safety of humans who may be in close in contact with poultry.
I've posted the abstract to the 28-page preprint below. I'll have a bit more, after the break.The survey was sent out to 225 participants between May and July 2024; including poultry farmers, veterinarians, zookeepers, and others who have bird contact. The questionnaire covered BM (Biosecurity Measures) use, bird contact quantity, and perceived risk to both human and bird health.
Biosecurity uptake and perceived risk of avian influenza among people in contact with birds
Harry Whitlow, Suzanne Gokool, Genevieve Clapp, Irene Bueno, Mariam Logunleko, Peter Moore, Sarah Masterton, Jo Taylor-Egbeyemi, Ian Brown, Riinu Pae, Louise E Smith, Ellen Brooks-Pollock, Amy C Thomas
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.04.23.25326059
Abstract
Introduction: Recent intercontinental spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) among kept and wild birds, and transmission to mammalian hosts, including cattle and humans, has heightened the need to review public health risk assessments. Biosecurity measures (BMs) are essential for limiting disease spread, but how widely different practices are implemented is not fully known.
Methods: Here, we report on the uptake of BMs and risk perception of avian influenza virus (AIV) in the context of preventing zoonotic transmission to persons potentially at high risk of exposure. Questionnaire data from 225 people in contact with birds in the UK (Avian Contact Study, May to July 2024) were analysed.Results: We found hand washing after contact with birds was the most common BM implemented (89%, 196 of 218), followed by using disinfecting footwear dips (78%, 170 of 218). Individuals in contact with a higher number of birds were more likely to use at least one personal protective equipment (PPE) measure for the face or body or at least one footwear-related PPE measure.
Perceived risk of AIV to bird health was high for individuals in contact with large flocks (≥1001 birds) and associated with uptake of at least one footwear-related PPE measure (independent of flock size). Perceived risk of AIV to respondents own health was low, regardless of the number of birds a respondent had daily contact with.Conclusions: Our results indicate that routinely used BMs are implemented to limit AIV spread among birds, but not with the purpose of limiting zoonotic transmission from birds to humans. Identifying cohort characteristics which could lead to low BM uptake, alongside barriers and facilitators to BM uptake is important for informing zoonotic AIV public health campaigns.
(SNIP)
Conclusions
Our findings suggest that use of BMs by people who have contact with birds in the UK are influenced by the number of birds a person is in contact with (as a proxy for farming operation size) and the perceived risk to bird health (high), but not perceived risk to human health (low).
Further work should be undertaken to identify the characteristics which lead to low BM uptake among different cohorts in contact with different bird species to help inform zoonotic AIV public health messaging and campaigns. Moreover, a more extensive investigation into the barriers and facilitators of BM uptake is vital for improving our understanding of nuanced behaviour in the context of zoonotic influenza spillover.
The UK is currently in the midst of an early, and unusually robust, outbreak of HPAI H5 avian flu, with 3 dozen cases reported since October 1st.
The United States is seeing a similar uptick in activity, with nearly 30 backyard flocks infected in the past month.
While large poultry producers are presumed to be better equipped to deal with the HPAI threat, these results are concerning given the large number of people who maintain very small (unregistered) backyard flocks (< 50 birds), and who may be less well prepared to deal with an outbreak.
In the UK, it is estimated there may be over 1 million backyard chicken owners, while in the United States the APPA estimates `Eleven (11) million U.S. households own backyard chickens (a 28% increase from 2023)'.
While the strains of HPAI H5 currently circulating in the UK, the U.S. and in Europe have thus far proven less risky to human health than those found in Asia, there are no guarantees how long that will remain the case.
