Media Orientation Training Notes. Three Day Workshop - AI.Comm

Participant reads out loud:1. Practice overall good hygiene. This means:• Wear gloves when handing birds.• Wash hands with soap and water or ash before and afterhandling chicken, eggs and other poultry products.• Wear a mask or cover your nose and mouth with cloth whencleaning or sweeping your farmyard or any feathers or bird feces.• Use other protective equipment if you have close contact withpoultry or other birds.• If practical, change your clothing once you arrive at theworkplace or after you’ve handled poultry – especially if you havepoultry in your backyard or come in contact with poultry on yourway to work.2. It is very difficult for humans to get avian flu, but if you havesigns of a serious respiratory illness, get care. Avoid close contactwith birds. Take precautions if you unintentionally come intocontact with poultry or poultry feces in an affected area.• If you become sick with a high fever after contact with dead orsick birds, seek immediate treatment.• If you suspect that someone has avian influenza, isolate themfrom others in your family and community and take themimmediately to a health care provider.3. Avoid close contact with birds. This means:• Do not sleep near poultry.• Do not keep birds as pets.• Do not let poultry in your house.• Be careful when using birds in rituals or ceremonies or find analternative to using birds.4. If you come across any dead or sick birds do not touch them.Other things to remember are to:• Report sick or dead birds immediately to the authorities.• All kinds of birds can get avian influenza – chickens, ducks,geese, quails, turkeys, pigeons, wild birds and even pet birds.• Some birds such as ducks can be infected even when they don’tlook sick.• If you become sick after contact with dead or sick birds, seekimmediate medical attention and try to avoid contact with others.6Trainer states out loud:For farmers or those that have contact with poultry or other birds intheir yard, at work, or in their community, there are many ways tohelp keep avian influenza away from themselves and their family.In addition to the basic precautions that we mentioned above, yourhandout covers additional ways that farmers and those working inthe poultry industry can guard against avian influenza. Can I getvolunteers to read some of these?AI.COMM: Media Orientation Training Notes 21