Should We Be Chicken of Chicken? Bird Flu Advice

Bird flu has us all in a frenzy lately, and with the 14 deaths and 63 infected in Beijing and Shanghai combined, it's really no wonder. But with the outbreak comes another cost, one that's been hitting the poultry industry hard since the first case broke out two weeks ago. The Shanghaiist reported that the poultry industry has seen RMB 10 billion in total losses thanks to a refusal to eat what some people think is diseased meat. To combat this, the director of propaganda in Houshayu, a poultry town near the Shunyi villa district has been putting up posters to encourage diners to reconsider their boycott.

The fact of the matter is: people have been chicken of chicken. And so far, it doesn't seem like they have to be, according to Dr. Richard Saint Cyr of Beijing United Family Hospital. Here's what you can do instead to avoid H7N9.

The US Center for Disease Control advises:

Do not touch birds, pigs, or other animals.

  • Do not touch animals whether they are alive or dead.
  • Avoid live bird or poultry markets.
  • Avoid other markets or farms with animals (wet markets)

So far, there has still been no cases of human to human contact, but the following is still important:

Practice hygiene and cleanliness.

  • Wash your hands often.
  • If soap and water aren’t available, clean your hands with hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol.
  • Don’t touch your eyes, nose, or mouth. If you need to touch your face, make sure your hands are clean.
  • Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing.
  • Try to avoid close contact, such as kissing, hugging or sharing eating utensils or cups, with people who are sick.

Do we really have to give up our KFC? Dr. Richard doesn't think so. However, it's important to eat food from places you trust. The CDC advice goes on to say:

Eat food that is fully cooked.

  • Eat meat and poultry that is fully cooked (not pink) and served hot.
  • Eat hard-cooked eggs (not runny).
  • Don’t eat or drink dishes that include blood from any animal.
  • Don’t eat food from street vendors.

Read Dr. Richard's full post here, and stay tuned for further updates on the bird flu virus on our blog.

Photo: Seoulful Adventures on Flickr

Comments

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admin wrote:
I bought some chicken from the wet market at Dongjiao market southeast of Soho New Town ... and while the birds were definitely dead, I wonder -- perhaps the seller has live chickens at home or bought them from someone who did?

i know there's no recorded human-to-human transmission documented yet but I seem to remember hearing the same thing about SARS and the other strain of the Bird Flu at first as well.

By this logic, being dead makes them safe to eat???

meanwhile,

China's top health authority confirmed that a family infected by H7N9 in Shanghai might involve human-to-human transmission of the new bird flu strain.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2013-04/18/content_16416968.htm


Not Good: WHO Says Some Cases of H7N9 Have No Links to Poultry

http://www.thebeijinger.com/blog/2013/04/17/not-good-who-says-some-cases-h7n9-have-no-links-poultry

Books by current and former Beijinger staffers

http://astore.amazon.com/truerunmedia-20

I bought some chicken from the wet market at Dongjiao market southeast of Soho New Town ... and while the birds were definitely dead, I wonder -- perhaps the seller has live chickens at home or bought them from someone who did?

i know there's no recorded human-to-human transmission documented yet but I seem to remember hearing the same thing about SARS and the other strain of the Bird Flu at first as well.

Books by current and former Beijinger staffers

http://astore.amazon.com/truerunmedia-20

Here is the US and Canadian Centers for Disease Controls' take on the matter:

Quote:
Canadian health authorities say that the strain of avian influenza causing illness in people in China hasn’t been identified in birds in Canada. They add that the risk posed to humans by avian influenza in birds is generally low, and there is no risk of catching the flu virus by eating affected poultry. Canada does not import raw poultry or raw poultry products from China. A Travel Health Notice has been posted on the travel.gc.ca website to provide advice to anyone traveling to China.

Public health officials in both countries say it is important to eat meat and poultry that is fully cooked and served hot. Don’t eat any eggs in China that are not hard-cooked, and don’t eat or drink dishes that include the blood of any animal. The CDC advises visitors to China to avoid food from street vendors, avoid live bird of poultry markets, and don’t touch birds, pigs, or other animals when in that country.

If the official word from these govt. agencies are to be trusted - yes, it is safe to eat chicken.

But do avoid undercooked eggs just in case.

And if you want to play it safe, yes, steer clear of any wet markets that handle live poultry. I'm not aware of any of the sort in the CBD/Sanlitun Embassy area.

Jerry Chan, Digital Marketing & Content Strategy Director

Quote:
Do not touch animals whether they are alive or dead.

so am I in danger of catching bird flu by eating chicken wings at my local dive?

Would i be advised to avoid the wet markets that sell raw chicken?

Books by current and former Beijinger staffers

http://astore.amazon.com/truerunmedia-20