Public ignorance and apathy towards bird flu could hinder preventive efforts

In an editorial in the American Journal of Public Health, a team led by researchers from the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (CUNY SPH) say public ignorance and apathy towards bird flu (highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI) could pose a serious obstacle to containing the virus and preventing a larger-scale public health crisis.

The authors, including CUNY SPH Assistant Professor Rachael Piltch-Loeb, Associate Professor Katarzyna Wyka, Professor Jeffrey V. Lazarus, Senior Scholar Kenneth Rabin, Distinguished Lecturer Scott C. Ratzan, and Dean Ayman El-Mohandes, conducted a population representative survey of U.S. residents from August 5 to 15, 2024, which used an in-depth sampling framework and intentional oversampling of rural populations.

The 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, although almost three of four respondents (71.3%) did understand that cooking meat at high temperatures could eliminate harmful bacteria and viruses like H5N1.

Over a quarter (27%) of respondents said they were unwilling to modify their diet to reduce the risk of exposure to the virus, and more than one in four respondents (28.7%) expressed reluctance to take a potential vaccine for H5N1, even if advised by the CDC to do so.

Participants who described themselves as Republicans or Independents were significantly less likely than Democrats to support either vaccination or dietary modifications.

Rural Americans, many of whom are more likely to work or live in or near livestock industries, were less likely to accept public health measures, including vaccination and dietary changes, compared to their urban counterparts.

"These attitudes could pose a serious obstacle to containing the virus and preventing a major public health crisis," says 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."

Rabin, who has been engaged in health communications campaigns for more than four decades, adds that, "Working closely with agricultural leaders, farm communities and food processing companies will be critical, and 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."