Raw poultry meat and poultry eggs may be contaminated by bacteria or viruses such as salmonellas or avian flu virus. The mainstay of prevention lies with thorough cooking, which can kill bacteria and viruses in food. According to the World Health Organization, there is no evidence that properly cooked poultry or eggs can be a source of infection. Therefore, the risk of contracting avian flu could be reduced by thorough cooking of poultry meat and poultry eggs.As a general precautionary measure, the public are advised to observe good personal, food and environmental hygiene at all times.
The following safety tips are useful:
Handling
1. After handling live poultry, poultry products or eggs, wash hands thoroughly with soap or liquid cleanser.
2. Clean thoroughly all working surfaces, utensils and equipments that have been used for handling poultry products or eggs.
3. Use separate knives and chopping boards to handle raw food and ready-to-eat food.
4. Keep raw poultry meat in well covered container and then store it in the lower compartment of refrigerator. Keep ready-to-eat and cooked food in the upper compartment to avoid cross-contamination.
5. Wash eggs (with household detergent if required) if they are soiled with faecal matter or stained with dirt. Washed eggs should be consumed immediately.
6. Avoid consuming eggs with cracked shell as they are prone to be contaminated.
Consumption
1. Do not use raw or undercooked eggs for preparation of food that will not be cooked further.
2. Do not eat raw eggs or dip cooked food into any mixed sauce of raw eggs. Cook eggs thoroughly until the white and the yolk become firm.
3. Cook poultry thoroughly before consumption. The centre of poultry meat should reach 70oC continuously for at least two minutes.
4. If there are pinkish juices running from the cooked poultry or the middle parts of the bones are still red in colour, cook the poultry again until fully done.
Food Safety and public health significance: Avian influenza
There were concerns over the possibility that avian influenza could spread to human through the handling and consumption of contaminated poultry products and eggs. From the limited studies available, it appears that almost all parts of an infected bird are contaminated with the viruses. The virus can also be found inside and on the surface of eggs.
On the basis of current scientific evidence available, WHO holds the view that to date there is no epidemiological information to suggest that the disease can be transmitted through contaminated food or that products shipped from affected areas have been the source of infection in humans.
The avian influenza virus, however, can survive on contaminated raw poultry meat and can pass around through contaminated food products (e.g. frozen meat). Freezing and refrigeration is not effective in reducing the concentration or virulence of the virus on contaminated meat, but normal cooking (temperatures at or above 70 oC) will inactivate the virus.
As precautionary advice and in order to avoid known risks of food poisoning from Salmonella and other organisms, WHO, as well as other health authorities such as the European Food Safety Authority, reiterates that, whilst it is unlikely that H5N1 could be passed onto humans by raw meat or eggs, cooking food thoroughly would inactivate the virus and eliminate this potential risk.
Advice to public
Although there is no epidemiological information to suggest that the disease can be transmitted through the consumption of contaminated poultry products and eggs, proper handling and cooking of poultry provides protection against H5N1, as it does against other viruses and pathogens such as Salmonella.
As a general precautionary measure, the public are advised to observe good personal, food and environmental hygiene at all times. Among which the following good hygienic practices are of particular importance in avoiding the spread of the virus through food.
- Cook poultry meat and eggs thoroughly. Do not eat raw or undercooked eggs (including food items containing raw or undercooked eggs as ingredients).
- Avoid contaminating cooked or ready-to-eat foods with raw meat (e.g. do not handle both raw and cooked poultry without washing your hands in between).
- After handling poultry products or eggs, wash hands and food-contact surfaces thoroughly.
References: Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, H.K. (2008). Risk in Brief, Issue No. 22: Avian Influenza Viruses and Food Safety. Retrieved April 1, 2008 from fehd.gov.hk Website: http://www.fehd.gov.hk/safefood/report/avian_infl_virus/index.html
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