Avian flu from an occupational health perspective.
Although a pandemic scenario necessarily involves a situation in which a large number of people become infected in a nonoccupational setting, past infectious disease events have highlighted the unique role that occupational exposure may play in the emergence of disease in humans. While small-scale poultry farmers have already demonstrated their high risk of exposure and subsequent infection with H5N1 avian flu, other bird handling occupations may also be at high risk. In this review article, the author highlights the occupational health aspects of a newly emerging infectious disease, H5N1 avian flu, and the efforts being made by various authorities to confront the possibility of the next flu pandemic. Various measures potentially available to protect high-risk workers are outlined, emphasizing a hierarchy of controls in which these measures can be placed. The author postulates that, by reducing the risk of transmission of avian flu to these workers, occupational medicine can play a pivotal role in the world's effort to prepare for a pandemic, and may be uniquely positioned to contribute to the effort to delay or even avert the emergence of the next pandemic.
Halpin
John
J
Department of Occupational Medicine, University of Illinois School of Public Health, Chicago, IL 60601, USA. Halpinj36@yahoo.com
D000818:Animals; D001717:Birds; D021821:Communicable Diseases, Emerging / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D053124:Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype; D005585:Influenza in Birds / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016272:Occupational Health; D017751:Safety Management / Q000458:organization & administration