SAFER-FARM (Strategies for Avian Flu Exposure Reduction through Farm worker Awareness and Risk Management
SAFER-FARM seeks to characterize perceptions, attitudes, and behavioral practices regarding H5N1 prevention measures among occupationally exposed populations, primarily poultry farmers. We are working to identify barriers and facilitators to prevention measures, including the adoption of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and the uptake of pre-pandemic vaccination. We will design evidence-based, targeted interventions to enhance H5N1 transmission prevention measures. We will validate intervention designs with poultry farm owners and operators to pre-establish the feasibility and acceptability of recommendations among influential agricultural community members.
Background
The H5N1 avian influenza virus has demonstrated an unprecedented capacity for cross-species transmission, with documented outbreaks spanning wild birds, domestic poultry, dairy cattle, and a growing range of mammals. Between January 1 and August 4, 2025, 26 human infections were confirmed globally, with 11 resulting in death, for a case fatality rate of 42.3%. The risk of viral reassortment to a human-transmissible strain represents a credible pathway to a global pandemic with potentially serious consequences for human health and the global economy.
Since late 2024, H5N1 outbreaks in Ontario have required full flock depopulations under Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) protocols, with direct consequences for farm operators, supply chains, food prices, and food security. Health Canada has acquired over 870,000 vaccine doses but fewer than approximately 500 have been administered, with eligibility restricted to laboratory technicians and those involved in culling infected poultry or wildlife. Agricultural farm workers, facing among the highest occupational exposure risks, remain excluded from eligibility and face significant barriers to PPE adoption and health communication.
SAFER-FARM asks the following question: What barriers and facilitators exist for adoption of H5N1 avian influenza prevention measures on livestock farms, and how can these insights guide intervention design?
Project team
- Dan Ambrochi
- Dylan Chiu
- Frank Shannon
- Kasthuri Theivendirarajah
TRP supervisors
See our community directory for more on committee members.