How much time will the survey take?
It takes around 10 minutes to complete the surveys. Most questions are tick boxes.
What kind of questions will I be asked?
Questions include some general information about yourself, the birds you keep/interact with, your current levels of biosecurity, and how you interact with others.
I only have a small flock, does this matter?
No! As long as you have had contact with any type of domestic or wild bird(s) you can participate.
Can I share this study with peers?
Yes! Anyone who is 18 years of age and older, lives in the UK (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales) and has had contact with any type of domestic or wild bird(s) can take part.
Is my data anonymous?
Your involvement in the study will remain confidential. This information will only be available to staff in the Avian Contact Study team and national bodies which monitor whether research studies are conducted properly. Your study data will be anonymised, this means that any identifying information about you will be removed. It will not be possible to identify you from any aspect of documentation or reporting for this research study. At the end of the study the data will be made “Open Data”, this means that it will be stored in an online database so that it is publicly available.
How can I discuss this study further?
If you have any questions at all, please feel free to email us at avian-contact-study@bristol.ac.uk
Or phone us at 0117 4561699
I have concerns about bird flu, what should I do?
If you are concerned about avian influenza (bird flu) in your bird(s), please contact your veterinarian. The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) provide guidelines for biosecurity measures which can be found here with contact details.
If you are concerned about avian influenza (bird flu) with regard to your health or your family’s health, National Health Service (NHS) information about avian influenza (bird flu) and who to contact can be found here.