The Brits have the best advice on the bird flu...
Precautions against avian flu
There are no specific restrictions for travellers to any of the countries affected by avian influenza, as the risk is believed to be very low. But if you plan on travelling to areas where outbreaks have been reported, you should seek expert medical advice before departure, check on latest travel advice and take the following precautions:
- Avoid visiting live animal markets, poultry farms and other places where you might come into contact with wild, domestic or caged birds
- Avoid contact with surfaces contaminated with animal faeces or fluids
- Not eat or handle poultry, egg or duck dishes, if any of these are undercooked or raw
- Wash hands regularly
- Not attempt to bring any live poultry products back to the UK
Most human cases are thought to have acquired their infection following exposure to dead or diseased birds. Evidence suggest that particularly risky exposure occurs during the slaughter, plucking and preparation of poultry for cooking.
You should not eat dishes made with fresh duck blood or any other raw or inadequately cooked poultry or egg products. Normal cooking destroys the avian influenza virus. No cases of avian influenza have been linked to the consumption of properly cooked poultry and egg products.
This is the same advice I have been giving all visitors here. Nothing really to worry about...but, avoid that chicken thats been cooked medium rare (which is how the Cantonese like their chicken).
In an email to Her Majesty's subjects, they expand on this...
- Avoid visiting chicken farms or poultry markets, or contact with live birds.
- If you have to handle live poultry (chicken and ducks) or raw poultry meat, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water or even a mild disinfectant after doing so.
- In affected areas where the presence of bird flu has been confirmed, do not eat poultry meat that comes from birds that have died of the virus. It is probably best to avoid poultry altogether in those areas though properly cooked meat from apparently health birds should be fine. In neighbouring areas (next to the bird-flu affected area) particular care should also be taken and only healthy poultry should be prepared for food.
- Chicken prepared hygienically and cooked thoroughly, i.e. no pink juices observed, can be considered safe to eat. Normal cooking (temperatures at or above 70º C) will inactivate the virus Well cooked poultry meat is safe but handling of frozen or thawed raw poultry meat before cooking can be hazardous if good hygiene practices are ignored.
- Separate raw meat from cooked or ready-to-eat foods to avoid contamination: Do not use the same chopping board or the same knife. Do not handle both raw and cooked foods without washing your hands in between and do not place cooked meat back on the same plate or surface it was on before cooking.
- The Avian Influenza virus can be found inside and on the surface of eggs. Any chicken/ duck eggs bought in the market/ shops should be wiped clean with a dilute household bleach solution before storing/ refrigerating. Only proper cooking will be able to inactivate the virus if it were present inside the eggs There is no evidence to suggest that people have so far been infected by consumption of eggs or egg products, but the advice is not to use raw or soft-boiled eggs in food preparations that will not be heat treated/cooked.
- Do not eat food which contains duck blood (Tiet Canh).
- Avoid touching your face with your hands when you do happen to visit the market.
We are on board with these guidelines. For those of you living in and around Asia...take heed. For those of you in Europe and North America...get ready to start following some of these guidelines. The US Embassy in Chiner links to the CDC, which has some information listed here.
Like I said, the Cantonese like their chickens a bit on the medium rare side when eating them. Ew. As for eggs...every Asian hotel I have ever visited and had the breakfast buffet, the scrambled eggs are sort of swimming and giggling at you. Scary. KFC is the only place you can get your chicken cooked to death...and always order your eggs, well-done, at the omlette chef in the buffet.
Hat Tip to Stevo for the email info.
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