30 August 2005

Management of returning travellers from countries affected by avian influenza presenting with a febrile respiratory illness.

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) Centre for Infections has recently revised the algorithm for the management of returning travellers from countries affected by avian influenza presenting with febrile respiratory illness.

The algorithm provides guidance on the recognition, investigation and management of patients with fever or history of fever and respiratory symptoms, who have travelled, or had close contact with a traveller, to countries affected by avian influenza, within the last seven days. The algorithm has been updated to include recent travel to Kazakhstan, Tibet and the Novosibirsk region of the Russian Federation in addition to Cambodia, China (including Hong Kong), Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, where avian flu H5N1 has been confirmed.

The algorithm can be accessed from the HPA website at: http://www.hpa.org.uk/webw/HPAweb&Page&HPA

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All health professionals are strongly encouraged to notify any potential case to the HPA Centre for Infections (Tel: 020 8200 4400) at an early stage.

Links    

Department of Health. Bird Flu - what are the risks?

World Health Organization Avian Influenza:

http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza

/en/

World Organisation for Animal Health:

http://www.oie.int/eng/en_index.htm