Zhejiang researchers identify the two greatest risk factors for H5N1 avian flu infection

After analysing an outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza in Zhejiang in 2011-12, researchers have the two main risk factors for infection as being in close proxiity to poultry and being somewhere wehere large numbers of birds are bred.
In a study of 3,453 environmental samples, 3% tested positive for H5 avian influenza virus and 4.7% of 1,169 people tested seropositive for anti-H5N1 antibodies. The H5N1 virus detection rate was highest in poultry slaughtering and processing plants (14.6%). and the most common sources of infection were sewage (4.5%), drinking water (3.1%), faeces (2.3%), cage surface (2.0%), and slaughtering chopping boards (7.0%). The two main risk factors for infection were direct or close contact with poultry (five fold higher risk) and breeding numerous poultry (four-fold higher risk). Source:  Journal of Thoracic Diseases