Pandemic Flu

International Travel

• General Travel Health Precautions
• Current CDC Recommendations for Travel to an H5N1-affected Area
• Americans Overseas During a Pandemic

General Travel Health Precautions

For individuals planning to travel outside the United States it is recommended you consult with your health care provider regarding specific health and safety precautions. In general, travel planning should include:

• a review of your current heath status including your immunization history
• any recommended vaccinations including an annual flu shot
• the potential for disease exposure and prevention measures, including food, water, and mosquito precautions
• a sufficient supply of any necessary medications
• adequate medical insurance
• an assessment of safety concerns
• a travel first aid kit
• identification of in-country health and safety resources, and
• location and contact information of the U.S. embassy in the countries you will be traveling.

For specific recommendations based on your destination refer to:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• U.S. Department of State
• World Health Organization

CDC Current Recommendations

The following are current Center for Disease Control recommendations for individuals traveling to areas identified as having H5N1, avian or human infection.

During travel to an H5N1-affected area

• Avoid all direct contact with birds, including domestic poultry (such as chickens and ducks) and wild birds.
• Avoid places such as poultry farms and bird markets where live birds are raised or kept.
• Avoid touching surfaces contaminated with poultry feces or secretions.
• As with other infectious illnesses, one of the most important preventive practices is careful and frequent handwashing. Cleaning your hands often with soap and water removes potentially infectious material from your skin and helps prevent disease transmission. Waterless alcohol-based hand gels (containing at least 60% alcohol) may be used when soap is not available and hands are not visibly soiled.
• All foods from poultry, including eggs and poultry blood, should be cooked thoroughly. Egg yolks should not be runny or liquid. Because influenza viruses are destroyed by heat, the cooking temperature for poultry meat should be 74°C (165°F).
• If you become sick with symptoms such as a fever plus a cough, sore throat or have trouble breathing, or if you develop any illness that requires prompt medical attention, a U.S. consular officer can assist you in locating medical services and informing your family or friends. Inform the health-care provider of any possible exposures to avian influenza, such as exposures to ill or dead birds. See Seeking Health Care Abroad in Health Information for International Travel for more information about what to do if you become ill while abroad. You should defer further travel until you are free of symptoms, unless traveling locally for medical care.
  • To help stop the spread of germs,
    • Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
    • If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve, not your hands.
    • Put your used tissue in the waste basket.
    • Clean your hands after coughing or sneezing by washing them with soap and water (or by using an alcohol-based hand cleaner with at least 60% alcohol when soap and water are not available).
    • You may be asked to put on a surgical mask to protect others.

Note: Some countries have instituted health monitoring techniques, such as temperature screenings, at ports of entry for travelers arriving from areas affected by the H5N1 virus. Please consult the embassy of your travel destination country if you have any questions.

After your return from an H5N1-affected area

• Closely monitor your health for 10 days.
• If you become ill with a fever plus a cough, sore throat or have trouble breathing during this 10-day period, consult a health-care provider. Before you visit a health-care setting, tell the provider the following: 1) your symptoms, 2) where you traveled, and 3) if you have had direct contact with poultry or close contact with a severely ill person. This way, he or she can be aware that you have traveled to an area reporting H5N1.
• Do not travel while ill, unless you are seeking local medical care. Limiting contact with others as much as possible can help prevent the spread of an infectious illness.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

For further information regarding travel and avian influenza see: www.cdc.gov/travel/other/avian_flu/.

Americans Overseas During a Pandemic

For Americans living or traveling abroad, in the event of a pandemic, it is important to understand return to the United States may be restricted by local and international public health measures. Preparations for possible sheltering-in-place should be made ahead of time. For more information refer to the U.S. Department of State Avian Flu Fact Sheet.