What should I do if I think I have been exposed to bird flu?

Get advice from your Public Health Unit

If you have been in contact with infected animals, their products, contaminated environments, contaminated objects or people infected with bird flu, call your local Public Health Unit on 1300 066 055.

The Public Health Unit will assess your level of exposure and let you know what you need to do. You will be assessed as having one of the following levels of exposure:

• Negligible level of exposure: no need for further action.
• Lower level of exposure: refer to advice for contacts with a lower level of exposure.
• Higher level of exposure: refer to advice for contacts with a higher level of exposure.

If you are assessed as a lower-level or higher-level contact, you will need to monitor your health carefully for 10 days after your last exposure. If you stay well during this time, you do not usually need to isolate. Your local Public Health Unit may contact you to check on your health.

Watch for symptoms for 10 days after your last exposure

Symptoms may include:

• fever
• headache
• cough
• runny nose
• sore throat
• shortness of breath
• red or sore eyes, also called conjunctivitis
• tiredness
• muscle aches
• gastrointestinal symptoms, including nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea.

If you develop symptoms, follow the advice below under What if I develop symptoms?

Stay up to date with recommended influenza vaccination

Your healthcare team may also advise you to get the seasonal flu vaccine if you have not already. The seasonal flu vaccine will not protect against bird flu but minimises the risk that people become unwell with both seasonal and bird flu viruses at the same time.

Practise good hygiene

You and your household need to be careful with hygiene. Thoroughly wash your hands with soap and running water for 10 seconds, or use alcohol-based hand rub, especially after contact with secretions from your nose and mouth, including:

• after blowing your nose
• after coughing or sneezing
• before eating
• after using the toilet.

Take care of your mental health

Being exposed to bird flu, seeing sick or dead animals, or working in an affected industry may be distressing. Support is available.

• your GP
• Lifeline on 13 11 14, 24 hours a day
• Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, 24 hours a day
• 13YARN on 13 92 76, 24 hours a day for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• Transcultural Mental Health Line on 1800 648 911, Monday to Friday, 9 am to 4.30 pm
• NSW Mental Health Line on 1800 011 511, 24 hours a day
• Rural Adversity Mental Health Program
• Farmgate Support Program, call the NSW Mental Health Line on 1800 011 511 and ask about Farmgate support.

Protect yourself against further exposures

Wherever possible, do not touch sick or dead animals unless you have been appropriately trained to do so.

If you have been assessed by a Public Health Unit as a contact of avian influenza and continue to have contact with infected animals, their products, contaminated environments or contaminated objects, make sure you wear full personal protective equipment, also called PPE.

Wearing full PPE will help prevent further direct exposure to the virus and the need for another health risk assessment. Full PPE means wearing all of the following:

• disposable gloves, not vinyl
• P2 or N95 mask
• shoe covers, disposable shoes or cleanable or allocated gum boots
• goggles or a face shield
• fluid-resistant overalls
• PPE with no breaches, including gaps, holes or tears.

After your level of contact has been assessed by your Public Health Unit, call your Public Health Unit on 1300 066 055 if:

• you have any further contact without wearing full PPE
• there is a breach in your PPE, such as a gap, hole or tear.

What if I develop symptoms?

• Call your local Public Health Unit on 1300 066 055. They can help you access rapid testing and provide advice on monitoring your health and protecting others.
• Contact your doctor and mention that you may have been exposed to bird flu.
• Isolate yourself from others as much as possible until you have been assessed by a doctor.
• Practise good hygiene: cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, wash your hands often, dispose of tissues properly, and wear a mask if you cannot isolate.

In a medical emergency, call 000 or go to the nearest emergency department. Tell the ambulance or hospital staff that you may have been in contact with bird flu.

How is bird flu diagnosed?

Bird flu is diagnosed by testing a sample taken from your nose or throat to check for the virus.

How is bird flu treated?

If you have been diagnosed with bird flu, your doctor or public health team may recommend antiviral medicines such as oseltamivir, also called Tamiflu. These medicines can help reduce the severity of illness if taken early.

People who develop more serious illness may need hospital care. Antibiotics may be used if a secondary bacterial infection, such as pneumonia, develops.

Further information

For contacts who have had their level of exposure to avian influenza assessed by the Public Health Unit, refer to:

• advice for contacts with a higher level of exposure
• advice for contacts with a lower level of exposure.

[Back to top]