After a death in Thailand was attributed to bird flu Sept. 29, the Alachua County Health Department is doing its best to prepare for the possibility of an outbreak.
Isabel Anasco, an epidemiology nurse at the department, said it's necessary to educate residents about the possibility though the disease hasn't infected people in the U.S.
There have only been bird flu outbreaks in animals in the U.S., Anasco said, but if humans are hit by the disease, it could spread extremely quickly and kill within a day.
The viral disease is most commonly found in domestic poultry and wild birds and can spread to humans who are in contact with those animals, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association Web site.
People who think they might have bird flu, which includes symptoms similar to the flu or pink eye, should get to a hospital immediately, Anasco said.
There, they would be put in isolation and treated as an utmost priority, she said.
There has never been any kind of epidemic in Alachua County, Anasco said, but last year there were a couple of weeks when the common flu was more widespread than usual.
