"H5N1" news and stories

The World Health Organization advises that in areas free from the disease, poultry and poultry products can be prepared and eaten as usual (following good hygiene practice and proper cooking), with no fear of acquiring infection.

General hygiene rules should be followed when handling raw poultry

• those preparing the food should wash their hands thoroughly
• surfaces and utensils in contact with the poultry products should be washed throughly. Soap and hot water are sufficient for this purpose

There are no reports of people contracting bird flu (H5N1) from eating eggs of meat from poultry. But the WHO still advises that the the virus may be present in meat and eggs from affected birds. The virus is easily killed by by cooking and, if still present, the virus is destroyed by saliva and by gastric acid, as well as the fact that there are very few receptors the virus needs to enter the body in the gut.

The WHO has a PDF download on combating the disease.

[image from the steeldeal]

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Even though the UK's Food Standards Agency and the European equivalent has stated that it "is not aware of any reports of people getting avian flu from eating poultry or eggs and recognizes that the current risk is from people having contact with live birds that have the disease" sales of poultry are likely to plummet in the wake of the UK's first confirmed outbreak.

Supermarkets have said it is too early to forecast the impact of the virus. Sales of poultry on mainland Europe plunged by 80 per cent in the weeks after cases of avian flu were discovered in Turkey. France said last month its poultry industry, the largest in Europe, was losing £27m a month.

The risk of catching the disease comes from being in close contact with live poultry that have the disease, and not through eating poultry or eggs. Poultry can include chicken, duck, goose, turkey and guinea fowl and the like. An article in the Guardian states The government's chief scientific adviser has insisted that Britain is better prepared than any other country to cope with bird flu.

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The Food Standards Agency here in the UK has advised restaurants to halt serving dishes made from raw eggs and half-cooked poultry to eliminate any risk of catching bird flu. The public is advised only to serve meat where the juices run clear and eggs that have solid whites.

These rules, following the first confirmed bird flu outbreak in Scotland, rule out the making of fresh mayonnaise and mousses with raw eggs and the serving of poultry  such as duck pink in the middle. Mousses and mayonnaise sold in supermarkets are fine as they are made from pasteurized egg which is safe.

On eggs specifically, the Food Standards Agency warned: "People should not eat raw eggs or use raw eggs in dishes that will not be cooked." Runny yolks can be eaten apparently even though the World Health Organization, has stipulated that both egg whites and yolks should be solid.

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Global health authorities say that there is currently no bird flu in the Western Hemisphere and the most likely way for it to enter the United States would be through birds smuggled in as pets or for cockfighting, or else from migratory birds, particularly ducks and geese. Nearly every chicken consumed in the US is raised here. Commercially bred chickens, including many "free range" birds, are raised inside giant airplane-hangar sized complexes and almost never see the light of day. Outdoor-raised chickens are usually kept away from wild birds with netting. The birds that are most at risk are unconfined birds and home raised birds, which may mingle with wild or migratory birds that carry the disease.

Almost all US chicken farmers have joined a program to test chicken flocks for the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus, which has already killed millions of birds in Asia and 76 humans. The producers who have joined the USDA's program - under which chickens from every flock will be tested approximately two weeks before slaughter - account for 90% of the US chicken production. Should an infection be detected, the flock will be destroyed and all flocks in a two mile radius will be held for further testing. State and national officials strongly recommend that even privately raised birds be brought in for testing on a regular basis.

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