A report from Ipsos Reid shows most Canadians will support extreme measures to contain the threat of a human pandemic resulting from avian influenza. With many experts predicting H5N1 Avian Flu could reach North America by this fall, a survey of 16 hundred Canadians conducted earlier this month, as part of a tracking study of attitudes toward the issue, found six in ten Canadians have concerns about the virus.
Vice president in charge of Ipsos Reid’s public affairs trends division Dr. Glenys Babcock says the study explored potential public policy. “”It turns out Canadians overwhelmingly support serious measures to contain avian flu should it arise in Canada as an epidemic,” said Glenys. “We asked about people spending time in quarantine due to the avian flu, should they be in contact with it, and facing criminal charges if they violate it, businesses being required to waive sick leave, mandatory court ordered quarantines and pets, including destroying pets infected with the H5N1 virus to prevent transmission of the virus to humans.”
Ipsos Reid has asked elsewhere about support for farmers overseas, not in Canada, if they would report and destroy infected chicken flocks. “In Canada, I suspect as in other countries, should the H5N1 virus come here, Canadians will be backing I would suspect very strongly destroying flocks of chickens, turkeys, what ever it takes,” said Glenys.
Interesting, it is with the farmers she thinks Canadians will support compensation both to support farmers who lose a portion of their livelihood or even much of it, and also protect for a public health reason, she added. The tracking study, which began in November 2005, will continue until November 2006.