Although there have been no reported cases of avian influenza in the United States, K-State is doing its part to protect Kansas residents and inform them about the virus.

The College of Veterinary Medicine and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment worked together to create a hotline designed to give information and answer questions surrounding avian flu. It began operating earlier this month.

"It's a hotline for people who have questions about their risk of being exposed to the bird virus from having close contact with birds," said Mike Heideman, communications specialists at the KDHE. "It's not a dead bird hotline."

Heideman said the hotline will be useful if the avian flu reaches the United States or if the virus begins to spread more easily between people.

"We just want to have something in place in case something like that does occur," he said. "We don't know that it will, but it makes sense to have the hotline for that reason."

In cases of avian flu in humans, infection occurs through contact with an infected bird.

This makes an avian flu hotline important in Kansas especially because many Kansans, like poultry farmers and recreational hunters, constantly are surrounded by birds, Heideman said.

Since 2003, 159 people died worldwide from avian flu. None of these deaths occurred in North America, and there are no reports of the virus found in birds or any other animal.

Even though there are no reports of the virus in our area, Heideman said it should be on everyone's radar.

"It's something people should remain informed about and be prepared for," he said. "But it's also good to keep in mind that there's no indication that there's anything about to happen."

Heideman said the KDHE is in close contact with Centers for Disease Control, which closely monitors the avian influenza situation, along with the World Health Organization.

Nicolle Wilson, sophomore in secondary education, said avian flu is not something she thinks about regularly. However, she said it can be a concern for others who deal more with birds, like her brother, who is in environmental studies. For them, she said, the hotline could be a useful tool.

"If the community is aware of the hotline they could have the ability to maybe prediagnose the avian flu and understand the difference between it and the regular flu," she said.

Staff members from the College of Veterinary Medicine or the KDHE Epidemiological Services Section, depending on the nature of the call, will respond to all calls to the hotline.

A receptionist for the hotline said they have not received any calls thus far. To contact the avian flu hotline, call (800) 566-4518.