Volume 15, Number 1—January 2009
Dispatch
Personal Protective Equipment and Risk for Avian Influenza (H7N3)
, Mirjam Kuhne, Pat Nair, Neville Q. Verlander, Richard Preece, Marianne McDougal, Maria Zambon, and Mark Reacher
Table 1
Characteristics and preventive measures taken by all persons potentially exposed to influenza A virus A (H7N3)–infected materials
| Characteristic | Completed questionnaire (n = 103), no. (%)* | Did not complete questionnaire (n = 39), no. (%)† |
|---|---|---|
| Male gender |
81 (79) |
34 (87) |
| Oseltamivir prophylaxis | ||
| Yes | 98 (95) | 30 (77) |
| No | 5 (5) | 6 (15) |
| Unknown |
3 (8) |
|
| Seasonal influenza vaccine | ||
| Received before outbreak | 5 (5) | 1 (3) |
| Received during outbreak | 12 (12) | 1 (3) |
| Received before and during outbreak | 66 (64) | 29 (74) |
| Not received | 8 (8) | 2 (5) |
| Unknown |
12 (12) |
6 (15) |
| Activities on infected premises‡ | 65 (63) | 22 (56) |
| Any activity with potentially high exposure§ | 62 | 6 |
| Catching poultry | 39 | 4 |
| Culling poultry | 24 | 7 |
| Inspecting or collecting biological/environmental samples | 21 | 2 |
| Loading dead poultry for transport | 32 | 0 |
| Disinfecting and cleaning |
17 |
2 |
| Activities off infected premises | 38 (37) | 12 (31) |
| Running incinerator | 16 | 8 |
| Transporting dead poultry | 10 | 0 |
| Testing biological/environmental samples | 4 | 1 |
| Other |
8 |
3 |
| Activities unknown |
0 |
5 (13) |
| Use of personal protective equipment¶ | ||
| Complete | 56 (54) | – |
| Incomplete |
47 (46) |
– |
| Exposure to poultry during 6 mo before outbreak | ||
| Never | 20 (19) | – |
| Occasional | 34 (33) | – |
| Frequent | 46 (45) | – |
| Unknown |
3 (3) |
– |
| Symptoms reported 7 d postexposure | ||
| Conjunctivitis only | 0 | – |
| Influenza-like symptoms only | 27 (26) | – |
| Conjunctivitis and influenza-like symptoms |
19 (18) |
– |
| Influenza-like symptoms# | 46 (45) | – |
| Body/muscle pain | 23 | – |
| Sore throat | 22 | – |
| Runny nose | 16 | – |
| Cough | 15 | – |
| Shortness of breath | 8 | – |
| Fever (subjective, not measured) | 5 | – |
*Median age (range) 40 (15–64) y.
†Median age (range) 41 (19–74) y.
‡For the 39 persons who did not respond to the study questionnaire, we used activities recorded in the outbreak records. Some persons had >1 exposure on site.
§High exposure includes >1 of the following activities: entering poultry sheds, coming within 1 m of live poultry, handling live or dead poultry, contact with chicken litter or feathers, and handling eggs or egg products.
¶Complete use of personal protective equipment defined as always using gloves, coveralls, footwear, face-fitted N95 respirator, or other mask (unspecified), and goggles.
#Reported by the 27 patients with influenza-like symptoms only and the 19 with conjunctivitis and influenza-like symptoms.