Cooking chicken at 75 C for 1 minute kills bird flu virus

Main Category: Bird Flu / Avian Flu
Also Included In: Flu / Cold / SARS
Article Date: 10 Mar 2004 - 0:00 PDT

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The Infectious Disease Surveillance Center of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases said Tuesday the avian influenza virus can be destroyed by cooking chicken meat for at least one minute at a temperature of 75 C or higher.

The center added that there was no reason to be overly concerned by the recent bird flu epidemic because no infection from eating virus-infected chicken meat and eggs has been reported.

Although eggs are sterilized by chlorine before being sold, the center encourages people to wash them in water before using them in case the eggshells are contaminated with chicken droppings.

The center also suggests people wash their hands and cutting boards with soap after handling fresh chicken meat as soap kills the virus.

Amid recent reports of crows testing positive for a highly pathogenic strain of bird flu in Kyoto Prefecture, prefectural and municipal governments in the Kansai region have received many inquiries regarding the possibility of humans being infected with bird flu via wild birds. The governments have urged calm and advise people to properly wash and sterilize their hands for prevention.

As of Monday night, the Kyoto prefectural government had received 1,341 inquiries about bird flu since chickens at Funai Farm in Tanbacho, Kyoto Prefecture, tested positive for the virus on Feb. 27.

Human infection can occur if the virus is inhaled or through direct contact with bird droppings.

However, as the virus is only slightly contagious, and human contact with chickens and other birds is rare, there is little chance that people will become infected with the virus, authorities say.

At a reservoir in Koyaike Park in Itami, Hyogo Prefecture, where many migratory birds, such as ducks, annually visit, and 40 swans are bred, temporary stands have been set up to allow visitors to wash their hands.

Around the world, no case of human infection from contact with water in which waterfowl live has been reported.

Akane Oka, an engineer of Kyoto Prefectural Livestock Technological Research Center, said, 'People can easily prevent infection by carefully gargling and washing their hands,' adding that people should not handle wild-bird droppings with their bare hands.

From:
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20040310wo31.htm

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