Mycobacterium avium subsp. hominissuis Infection in a Pet Parrot

rect answers) workers. Most correct answers about knowledge of human infection by the HPAI virus also came from urban/periurban respondents. Forty percent of respondents who would not eat AI-infected chicken cited religious prohibition to eating dead animals. Seven respondents did not believe AI exists at all and viewed the outbreak situation as a diversionary tactics from the 2007 presidential election. Our fi ndings are similar to trends reported among poultry workers in previous studies (3,4) (Table). Our study showed that knowledge of food safety and risk factors and differentiation between HPAI and other poultry diseases is poor among the poultry farming communities of Nigeria. The belief by 90% of respondents that AI is lethal only in poultry further increases risk for human infection. The study also showed that farmers believe the news media (broadcast and print) are important in increasing public understanding of AI. Nearly all respondents agreed that poultry enterprise is profi table, albeit risky, and were not willing to abandon the business even in the event of an AI outbreak. Because the knowledge gap between the rural and urban communities further heightens the risk for human AI infection in Nigeria, public health messages about AI should target rural communities. Previously, workers have indicated that socioeconomic factors prevent the rural and urban poor from accessing healthcare facilities (8). Lack of access to healthcare was evident in the response of workers who stated they would want to have themselves and their fl ocks tested if healthcare services were available and if government agencies would bear the cost of tests that may be unaffordable to most. Since this survey, progress in disseminating knowledge of AI in Nigeria has been substantial. The country has established desk offi ces (state centers for coordination of surveillance activities in animals) to carry out regular surveillance for HPAI virus (H5N1), and farmers have tremendously improved their knowledge (9).