Can You Catch the Bird Flu From Eating Chicken
or Poultry
According to WHO (World
Health Organization) with proper precautions and cooking procedures you
CAN NOT catch the bird flu from eating chicken or
poultry.
1. Conventional cooking (temperatures at
or above 80°C in all parts of a food item) will inactivate the H5N1 virus. Properly
cooked poultry meat is therefore safe to consume.
2. The Avian flu H5N1 virus, if present in poultry meat, is not killed
by refrigeration or freezing.
3. Home slaughtering and preparation of sick or dead poultry for food
is hazardous: this practice must be
stopped.
4. Eggs can contain H5N1 virus both on the outside
(shell) and the inside (whites and yolk). Eggs from
areas with H5N1 outbreaks in poultry should not be
consumed raw or partially cooked (runny yolk);
uncooked eggs should not be used in foods that will
not be cooked, baked or heat-treated in other ways.
5. The greatest risk of exposure to the virus is
through the handling and slaughter of live infected
poultry. Good hygiene practices are essential during
slaughter and post- slaughter handling to prevent
exposure via raw poultry meat or cross contamination
from poultry to other foods, food preparation
surfaces or equipment.
There is no epidemiological
evidence to indicate
that people can catch the bird flu from eating chicken or have been infected
with the H5N1 virus
following consumption of properly cooked poultry or
eggs.
Additionally, to prevent avian influenza in humans,
in areas at risk, you should avoid touching live poultry or their droppings,
wash hands thoroughly immediately after contacting live poultry and cook poultry
and eggs thoroughly before eating.
It is highly unlikely that Avian influenzaH5N1 can be passed on to humans by
raw meat or eggs, but if you cook your food properly this will
eliminate the risk entirely. It will also protect you from salmonella and other
organisms that cause food poisoning.
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