Aside from avoiding contact with possibly contaminated birds and poultry, here are other ways to avoid getting infected:
- check for the latest travel advise from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website or call their hotline at 1-888-246-2675 when traveling especially when it is an international trip
- when traveling to countries that are known to have bird flu outbreaks, avoid poultry farms and bird markets, and avoid contact with any surfaces that may have poultry feces or secretions
- wash hands frequently, or use alcohol based hand sanitizers
- make sure poultry dishes are cooked thoroughly, as the virus can be destroyed in high temperatures
Bird flu poses no food safety risks. This assurance was announced by the Food Standards Agency on its website following the recent case of bird flu in the Suffolk/Norfolk areas.
Poultry products such as meat and eggs are safe for consumption as long as they have been properly cooked. The Agency reiterated the importance of thoroughly cooking poultry meat and eggs, since the H5 virus is killed with high heat. The virus is not transmitted by eating food, but through close contact with an infected bird. The Agency also advised that people should follow normal food hygiene guidelines when handling raw poultry meat.
For more updates on the recent case, visit the Department of Environment, Food, and Agriculture (DEFRA) website.
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