Knowledge Regarding Avian Flu among Adult Population

Avian influenza refers to a large group of different influenza viruses that primarily affect birds. On rare occasions these bird viruses can infect other species, including pigs and human¹. However, Avian H5N1 is a strain with pandemic potential, since it might ultimately adapt in a strain that is contagious among humans. This study intends to assess the knowledge regarding Avian flu among adult. A cross sectional survey was adopted and 60 adults were selected from a rural ward in Thiruvananthapuram district. The results shows that 61.67% of adults had good knowledge, 23.33% had average knowledge and 10% had poor knowledge regarding Avian Flu. Similar result was also found in the study conducted among 220 intermediate students of Osmania College, and the result shows the awareness regarding Bird Flu was quite low among students. 96% students said that they had heard about Bird Flu, but only 39% correctly.