Avian influenza primarily infects birds and is rarely passed on to people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Public health experts say it is possible but unlikely that hunters, or people feeding birds, could contract avian influenza from wild birds in Montana.

Since 1997, about 300 people in Asia, Europe, and Africa—most as a result of direct contacted with infected poultry—have been infected and nearly 200 people died from the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus, a particularly virulent strain of bird flu.

Hunters and others can follow common sense precautions when processing or handling wild game.

• Do not harvest or handle wild birds that are obviously sick or found dead.
• Wear rubber gloves while cleaning game or cleaning bird feeders.
• Do not eat, drink or smoke while cleaning game.
• Wash hands with soap and water or alcohol wipes immediately after handling game or cleaning bird feeders.
• Wash tools and work surfaces used to clean game birds with soap and water, then disinfect with a 10 percent solution of chlorine bleach—one part chlorine bleach to 10 parts water.
• Separate raw meat, and anything it touches, from cooked or ready-to-eat foods to avoid contamination.
• Cook game meat thoroughly to an internal temperature of at least 165°F.

What Montanans Should Do When They Find Dead Birds

• Routine investigation of disease in wild birds offers wildlife professionals the best opportunity to detect the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus if it is introduced into Montana by migratory birds.
• Montana's primary focus is on migrating birds from Alaskan, and possibly eastern Russian, breeding areas. Those birds typically don't start arriving in Montana until late July and August.
• Increased vigilance and timely reporting of unusual events by the public greatly enhances disease investigations in the state. Reports of sick and dead wild birds of particular species are investigated by FWP.
• FWP tests for avian influenza during all investigations of multiple wild bird die-offs. Some wetlands commonly experience botulism outbreaks in late summer resulting in isolated waterfowl and shorebird die-offs. These are investigated and provide opportunities for sampling.
• If multiple sick or dead shorebirds or waterfowl are reported, FWP investigates and, when appropriate, samples are sent to diagnostic laboratories to test for diseases including avian influenza.

Bird Flu Effort Includes Toll-Free And Online Reporting

Toll-free and online reporting systems are now part of Montana's effort to detect the possible arrival of a virulent strain of bird flu that could be brought to North America via migrating waterfowl.

Montana citizens can report sick or dead birds via a toll free phone number, 1-866-608-5024, or online at FWP's Avian Influenza Reporting. Wildlife technicians will contact those making reports to determine if further investigation is warranted.

"Samples from sick or dead wild birds could increase the probability of detecting the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus should it arrive in Montana," said Mark Atkinson, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks wildlife veterinarian in Bozeman.

FWP is working closely with the federal Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to carry out a surveillance program that focuses on finding highly pathogenic H5N1, a strain of avian influenza that is easily transmissible between, and frequently fatal to, domestic poultry.

Officials are gathering samples from 1500 wild waterfowl birds during banding operations hunter-harvest, and urban ponds during the fall and early winter. 1,000 environmental samples are also being collected where waterfowl concentrate. The statewide effort will focus in both the Pacific and Central Flyways, across the state of Montana.

Wild birds are natural reservoirs for more than 140 avian influenza viruses that spread among birds through contact with secretions and feces of infected birds . These various strains naturally occur in wild species and usually cause little or no disease symptoms. Domestic chickens, however, can be more susceptible to certain avian influenza viruses, including highly pathogenic H5N1. In Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, most known cases of disease transmission to humans were linked to direct handling of sick domestic poultry or infected carcasses. Public health officials stress that spread of the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus has yet to be linked with wild bird migrations and that avian influenza is primarily a disease of birds, not humans.

For information on pandemic flu preparations visit Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) .