Hunters are among those invited to participate in a continuing study designed to help researchers learn more about the H5N1 avian influenza and the way it spreads.
"Researchers at the University of Ottawa and The Ottawa Hospital have launched a research study to better understand how H5N1 Avian Influenza might be spreading among animals and occasionally into people," Clinical Research Coordinator for the study, Aaron Dyks, said. "While the risk to humans is currently low, hunters, farmers, and others who spend time around wildlife or farm animals often have more direct contact with birds and livestock than the general public. Because of this, people in these communities can provide valuable insight that helps researchers track how respiratory viruses, and particularly H5N1, move between animals and humans and detect potential risks early."
H5N1 is a highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza that primarily infects birds but has become of particular interest due to recent infections detected in mammals in both the US and Canada.
According to the website, "Monitoring for infections (particularly asymptomatic infections) and past exposures to this virus can provide critical information on disease spread and inform public health decisions."
Subjects will be asked able to provide saliva, and a dried blood spot (finger prick) from their homes every two months over a ten-month period. The researchers will examine the level of immune protection that humans now have, or may have, after exposure.
Participants will be thanked with gift cards. Personal details will be kept strictly confidential.
To learn more, or to sign up for this study visit: https://omc.ohri.ca/SSOfarm/
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