Public ignorance toward avian influenza could pose a “serious obstacle to containing the virus,” research finds

A new study suggests that Americans do not think that bird flu is a threat. Research shows that public ignorance and apathy toward the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) could pose a serious obstacle to containing the virus and preventing a larger-scale public health crisis.

The researchers from the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (CUNY SPH) have written an editorial in the American Journal of Public Health.

The team carried out a population representative survey of US residents from August 5 to 15, 2024. They used an in-depth sampling framework and intentional oversampling of rural populations.

Results suggest many respondents were unaware of simple food safety practices that could reduce the risk of HPAI infection. Over half (53.7%) did not know that pasteurized milk is safer than raw milk. However 71.3% understood that cooking meat at high temperatures could eliminate harmful bacteria and viruses like H5N1.

Difference in attitudes

There were varied results depending on political affiliation and geography. Participants who said they were Republicans or Independents were significantly less likely than Democrats to support either vaccination or dietary modifications.

Twenty-seven percent of survey participants said they were “unwilling to modify their diet to reduce the risk of exposure to the virus.” Meanwhile, 28.7% expressed reluctance to take a potential vaccine for H5N1, even if it was advised by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“These attitudes could pose a serious obstacle to containing the virus and preventing a major public health crisis,” says CUNY SPH assistant professor Rachael Piltch-Loeb, the study’s lead author. “The fact that responses vary significantly by political party and geography emphasizes the need for a carefully segmented health communications strategy to address the issue.”

Another author, senior scholar Kenneth Rabin, says that working closely with agricultural leaders, farm communities, and food processing companies will be critical.

“The fact that most of the agricultural workers who are at direct risk of exposure to the bird flu virus may be undocumented could seriously jeopardize efforts to track and control the spread of infections,” he says.

Avian flu continues to pose a threat in the US and elsewhere as the agri-food industry ramps up actions to prevent its spread, while the US government has committed US$1 billion to tackle the epidemic and help chicken producers bolster biosecurity measures.

The US egg sector is facing rising prices and volatility as egg prices have more than doubled in the past year. 

Last month, the USDA turned to imported eggs from Turkey and South Korea to stabilize supply.