PoultryWorld: Avian influenza research study to limit transmission to wider public

A team from the University of Bristol are recruiting UK poultry farmers, bird keepers and others who have contact with domestic and/or wild birds as part of a major avian influenza study.

The researchers note that avian influenza is a highly infectious disease that affects domestic and wild birds as well as other animals, including humans. As well as being found all over the world, in 2022/3, highly pathogenic avian influenza was confirmed on more than 150 poultry farms in England and the UK’s Health Security Agency identified 4 people in contact with birds on infected premises, who had become infected with avian influenza.

They want to find out:

• How important is avian influenza to bird keepers in the UK?
• What biosecurity measures are being taken to prevent the spread of avian influenza?
• Are current public health plans scalable given increases in avian influenza infections?
• What is the best way to engage farmers and bird keepers in a public health response?
• What might localised avian influenza outbreaks in the UK look like? 

The Avian Contact Study team say the transmission of the H5N1 virus from either birds or a contaminated environment to humans shows that avian influenza is zoonotic (transmitted to humans by animals), and the potential spread of this virus poses a risk to public health. Therefore, we need to understand how the virus is spread from bird to human and from human to human in order to put control measures and interventions in place to limit its transmission to the wider public.

The study is being carried out by the Avian Influenza Group at the University of Bristol in collaboration with the Behavioural Science and Evaluation Unit at the University of the West of England under the chief investigator Professor Ellen Brooks-Pollock, professor of infectious disease modelling.

As part of their work, they are keen for new farmers and people who work with or own birds in the UK to help improve the study further.

Public involvement can involve:

• Advising on study design
• Shaping the research questions to improve relevance
• Reviewing study material
• Telling people about the study
• Recruiting people for the study
• Attending study days
• Writing blogs or plain English summaries. 

All public contributors are remunerated for their time in line with the NIHR guidelines on public involvement and engagement. Public contributors so far have informed survey questions, study delivery and recruitment.

For further information, email avian-contact-study@bristol.ac.uk