According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Chicken and other poultry are safe to consume as long as it is cooked properly
India is battling a bird flu outbreak now amid the covid pandemic. Thousands of birds have died in Kerala, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Himachal Pradesh. Many states have stepped-up their surveillance game. Poultry sale has taken a serious hit in several states due to the outbreak, with some states even banning the sale of poultry products. The question is are chicken and eggs safe to consume amid bird flu?
Also known as Avian influenza (or avian flu), bird flu is a disease caused by viruses that occur naturally among birds. Wild birds across the globe carry the viruses in their intestines, but usually do not get sick from them.
However, bird flu is very contagious among birds and could make some domesticated birds, including ducks and chickens very sick (or even kill them). According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Chicken and other poultry are safe to consume as long as it is cooked properly. However, birds from flocks with the disease should in no way enter the food chain.
The WHO recommends the cooking temperature for poultry at or above 70° Celsius throughout the product, so that absolutely no meat remains raw and red. WHO also believes that there is no evidence of consumers being exposed to the virus via the consumption or handling of poultry or poultry products.
Still in order to avoid the risk of the infection, one should follow these WHO recommended practices while cooking chicken and eggs:
- Keep raw meat and cooked or ready-to-eat foods separately to avoid contamination
- Do not use the same knife or the same chopping board
- Do not handle both cooked and raw foods without washing your hands in between
- Do not keep cooked meat back on the same surface or place it was on prior to cooking
- Do not use soft-boiled or raw eggs in food preparations that will not be cooked or heat-treated
- Keep clean and wash your hands
- After handling thawed or frozen raw eggs or poultry, wash your hands thoroughly with soap
- Wash and disinfect all utensils and surfaces that have been in contact with the raw meat
In addition to this, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has suggested that while cooking an egg, one should make sure its yolk becomes firm. One should avoid consuming egg yolks that are liquid amid the outbreak.
Ashwin Bhadri, CEO of Equinox Labs says the concerns pertaining to the bird flu are rather precipitous at this point. He says, “Amidst the pandemic, one must not go into panic mode over unfounded worries. WHO has laid out a good set of guidelines regarding the consumption of poultry products and we must follow them.
Bhadri continues, “As long as we adhere to those practices, we shall be fine.”