With now so many news about the spreading of Bird Flu or Avian influenza in Asia, specially Thailand, Indonesia, China, Vietnam and now Japan the first question would be:

Should I travel to the region? Is it safe?

Here is an Avian Flu/Bird Flu FAQ from New York Times that can help you answer your question: With Threat of Avian Flu, Go or Stay Home?

If you miss the article, I copied it below (after the jump)

Go here for developing information about bird flu/avian influenza [Wikipedia]

October 30, 2005
Practical Traveler
With Threat of Avian Flu, Go or Stay Home?

By CHRISTOPHER ELLIOTT

BETSY McCALLUM had planned a three-week trip to China, Vietnam and Thailand next March. She and a friend looked forward to visiting a relative who worked in Beijing and then exploring some of the places that “none of the tourists go to.”

But then Ms. McCallum, a retired real-estate broker from Manasota Key, Fla., heard about the bird flu threat and began having second thoughts about her vacation. “What if there’s an outbreak?” she wondered. “Would I be increasing my risk of getting it by going on my trip during the peak of flu season?”

For people making vacation plans, the H5N1 avian flu strain is beginning to loom large. And while the virus may not have mutated into a human disease, at least at this point, travelers are concerned. Ms. McCallum, for example, decided to stay home after consulting with her sons, both doctors, and a friend who manages a pharmaceutical company in Taiwan. “Maybe I’m chicken,” she said. “But I’d rather play it safe.”

Here are some of the most common questions about bird flu and travel:

Q. What is bird flu?

A. It is an infection among birds that is transmitted through saliva, nasal secretions and feces, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. What makes the particular strain of bird flu H5N1 so worrisome is that it can now also infect people. In 1997, the first case of bird-to-human transmission was recorded in Hong Kong, according to the C.D.C. So far, this strain of flu has not had any sustained human-to-human transmission. But scientists are concerned that the virus might adapt to more easily infect people.

Q. Where are the bird flu outbreaks?

A. Human infections are reported this year in Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, according to the disease control agency. As of Oct. 24, bird flu outbreaks linked to H5N1 had been recorded in poultry and other fowl in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Russia, Thailand, Vietnam, Turkey, Romania, among other countries.

Q. Should I get a flu shot before I travel to affected areas?

A. Yes. Even though conventional flu shots do not prevent your contracting avian flu, health professionals advise getting a flu shot - particularly if you are over 65, are pregnant or have a weakened immune system. Dr. Phyllis Kozarsky, a consultant to the C.D.C’s Division of Global Migration and Quarantine and a professor at Emory University, says there is a chance that if you are infected with bird flu and another flu strain, the viruses could mix genes so the avian flu could acquire the characteristics of a strain more easily transmitted.

Another option is the antiviral medication Tamiflu, which, based on limited data, may be effective in preventing or treating bird flu, according to the C.D.C. In August, the State Department sent Tamiflu to its embassies and consulates in southeastern Asia for distribution to government employees and their families.

Q. Should I cancel my trip to an area where there are documented bird flu cases?

A. Probably not. “One misconception about bird flu is that it is highly contagious among humans,” said Dr. R. Bradley Sack, director of the Johns Hopkins International Travel Medicine Service. “But that’s not true.” In fact, there have been only a few cases in which very close physical contact with an ill, infected person has caused disease in a healthy person. “As a generalization, I think it is safe to say there has been no indication that human-to-human transmission is occurring, except in rare instances,” he said.

Dr. Sack said visitors to countries with bird flu cases should take several precautions, which include staying away from markets with live chickens and ducks, washing their hands frequently and not eating undercooked poultry. If the bird flu mutates and if it becomes a pandemic - and Dr. Sack says those are two big “ifs” - then it will not really matter where you are, “because you probably won’t be safe anywhere.” He added, “I would not cancel any trips to areas that have been affected by bird flu.”

Q. How do I know if it isn’t safe to travel?

A. The Centers for Disease Control posts regular travel notices - and, if needed, warnings - for travelers at its Web site (www.cdc.gov/travel). “The risk to humans, at this point, is still extremely low,” Dr. Kozarsky said. “But we are monitoring the situation closely.” To date, the C.D.C. has only issued one travel health warning, during the SARS epidemic of 2003. “When there is evidence of transmission outside the areas or populations initially affected, and inadequate containment, then we will be poised to do something,” Dr. Kozarsky said.

But we are not at that point yet. “People feel as if the avian flu is more widespread than it is. They think that if they travel to a country whose poultry is affected, they are at a high risk,” she said. But she sees no evidence of that yet.

Q. What are the travel experts doing about bird flu?

A. Many are still traveling. Phil Carta, the president of an Ocala., Fla.-based tour operator called New Adventures, which specializes in tours to the Seychelles, Mauritius and Réunion, is planning a personal trip to Hong Kong, Thailand and Cambodia in December. He is taking all the precautions, including getting the flu shot and bringing antiviral medication. He is also traveling with a medical kit that includes antibacterial wipes and a digital thermometer. “I’m going to be in some remote villages in Thailand, and let’s just say I won’t be petting any chickens while I’m there,” he said.

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