Background: Little is known about hostellers' knowledge of transmission and prevention of avian influenza when travelling abroad. This study was designed to investigate these in the Australian context.
Methods: In 2006, hostellers attending a travellers' information evening in Brisbane, Queensland, were asked to complete self-administered questionnaires.
Results: Forty-two questionnaires (60.8%) were returned. Over two-thirds of attendees were females (71.4%, 30). About two-thirds of the hostellers attending the travellers' information evening reported being aged 29 years or younger (64.2%, 27). On a five-point rating scale, the median rating of hostellers indicated that they were moderately concerned about avian influenza (3.0) with the range being 1-5. About one-fifth of hostellers did not know or were not sure what the source of avian influenza infection in humans was and most of this group also did not know how bird flu was prevented (p<0.05). Almost all hostellers (40, 95.2%) responded to the question concerning the source of infection for avian influenza. Nominated sources of infection included handling sick poultry (69.0%, 29), eating poultry (45.2%, 19), contact with humans who have avian influenza (38.1%, 16), and handling healthy poultry (26.2%, 11). More than four-fifths 35 (83.3%) of hostellers responded to the question concerning precautions against avian influenza. Nominated precautions included hand washing (28.6%, 12), avoiding birds (23.8%, 10), avoiding affected areas (14.3%, 6), not eating poultry (7.1%, 3), and avoiding poultry droppings (7.1%, 3). Hand washing was the only measure to prevent bird flu that was significantly more likely to be nominated following the travel health lecture (p<0.05).
Conclusions: Hostellers attending the travellers' information night in Australia reported having moderate concern about avian influenza. They also had a variable knowledge of the sources of infection of avian influenza. Most hostellers correctly identified infected poultry as a source; however, human-to-human transmission as the predominant current source of avian influenza infections in humans was incorrectly identified by nearly two-fifths of hostellers. Although hostellers responded positively to hand washing advice provided in the travel health lecture, reinforcement of other possible measures to prevent avian influenza, particularly the possible role of antiviral drugs, may be needed.