People rarely get bird flu, but when they do, it’s most often through prolonged unprotected contact (failure to use gloves, eye protection, or a facemask/respirator) with infected birds. People can become infected by breathing the virus in droplets in the air or possibly dust, or by touching surfaces contaminated with infected bird mucous, saliva, or feces and then touching their eyes, nose, or mouth. Most bird flu infections in people have happened after close, prolonged, unprotected contact with infected birds or contaminated surfaces. No human bird flu infections have been reported from proper handling of poultry meat or from eating properly cooked poultry or poultry products.

Overall, the risk to the public from bird flu outbreaks is low; however, because bird flu viruses have been known to infect people sporadically (again, people who were known to have prologued, unprotected exposure to infected birds), it is possible that human infections with these viruses could occur. It is important to note there has been no known human-to-human spread of bird flu.