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

• It has infected some people.• It has had a severe impact on the economies of families,villages, and communities.• It could spread around the world.• It could mutate and spread from person to person.Note to trainer:As long as none of the answers is extremely outrageous, there areno right or wrong answers. It’s important to acknowledge the listthat was generated and then move into the facts. Consult with thetechnical experts present if you are unsure how to answer aquestion.Trainer states out loud:You came up with some great responses to my question. Theshort answer to why we should be concerned about the H5N1avian influenza virus is because it has infected and killed humans.To date, risk to humans has been limited to people who have hadcontact with infected poultry or contaminated surfaces. We havealready gone through the key behaviors people who come in closecontact with poultry can adopt to reduce the risk of contacting thevirus. They are listed in Handout #5 if you want to refer back tothem.Over the past year or two, there has been renewed concern aboutH5N1 avian influenza because it marked the first time that somany countries were affected at the same time by this virus. Theanimal and human health experts’ concern is that the virus has thepotential to cross the species barrier and infect humans. Scientistsare closely monitoring the virus to see if it will mutate, making iteasier to spread from human to human. Of course with all of thediscussion about the virus crossing species, there are ongoingdiscussions about vaccines and treatments. There is informationon this in Handout #2, Frequently Asked Questions, as well as inHandout #3, Key Facts About Avian Influenza. It’s also importantto know the symptoms of avian influenza, which are similar tothose of other forms of influenza, including fever, sore throat,cough, headache and muscle aches and pains. These symptomsmay vary in severity. Keep in mind that people get respiratoryinfections quite regularly, and that the chances that symptoms arefrom avian influenza are extremely low. Of course we’re allconcerned about the global discussions occurring about thepossibility of an influenza pandemic. Though it’s on our minds, it’snot likely. It’s important to understand that there are several criticalsteps that must occur before a human pandemic can happen.These critical steps include:• a new influenza virus subtype emerges;• it infects humans, causing serious illness; and• it spreads easily and sustainably among humans.AI.COMM: Media Orientation Training Notes 24