Awareness Not Enough to Combat Bird Flu

According to this article, new research into avian influenza prevention in Cambodia revealed that despite widespread knowledge of bird flu protection measures, most rural Cambodians still practiced at-risk poultry handling, indicating that awareness does not necessary lead to behaviour change.

The article refers to the research paper published in the January edition of Emerging Infectious Diseases, entitled Interaction Between Humans and Poultry, Rural Cambodia, where researchers surveyed 460 Cambodian villagers believed to be at high risk for contracting avian flu. Of the households surveyed, 81% said that they had learned about bird flu and its prevention from announcements on television, while 78% had heard similar messages on the radio. According to the paper, despite high awareness about avian influenza prevention measures, many villagers admitted to carrying out behaviour that they had been warned against, including touching sick or dead poultry and eating poultry that had died from an unknown illness.

The findings in Cambodia reflect a larger trend, as public health officials in Thailand and Indonesia report similar findings of risky behaviour despite awareness about bird flu. In reference to a 14-year-old boy who reportedly threw a dead duck into a river in a populated area in Indonesia, the assistant for public welfare to the governor of Jakarta said that “[p]eople still don't understand how to deal with this disease despite the government's public-information campaign.”

In reference to a nationwide bird flu campaign in Indonesia, a communications officer from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), acknowledged that “behavioural change takes time” and referred to the importance of measuring the effectiveness of a campaign over the long term.