Will eating eggs cause bird flu?

Bird flu has always caused panic, and the occasional outbreaks are even more frightening, but it is inevitable. Although this makes us feel helpless, we can try our best to avoid it from happening, do you know? Eggs can also get avian influenza. Want to know the reason? Let me explain in detail!

1. Will I be infected by eating chicken, duck or goose meat?

When poultry is cooked thoroughly, the virus is less likely to spread. However, if the diseased poultry is not cooked thoroughly before consumption, the virus is likely to enter the human body. If the virus enters the human body and survives, whether it will be transmitted to various tissues of the human body through the digestive tract and how the virus works in the human body are still unclear. In this case, only poultry coming from the outbreak area will be blocked.

At present, my country's quarantine department has taken emergency precautions and no cases have occurred in the country. Poultry in regular markets can basically be eaten with confidence. The key is to cook it thoroughly. The risk of infection cannot be ruled out if poultry is consumed that has not been quarantined or comes from an outbreak area.

2. Will I be infected if I wear down jackets or cover myself with duck down quilts?

An official from the Wuhan Veterinary Health Supervision Institute said that wearing down jackets, duck down quilts and related products will definitely not spread avian influenza. Because down products are usually processed through multiple physical and chemical steps such as disinfection and high temperature, the possibility of virus survival is extremely small and it is impossible to cause harm to human health.

3. Boil the eggs for ten minutes and eat them safely

Public health and infectious disease experts say that boiling eggs for 5 to 10 minutes can completely inactivate the avian influenza virus and the eggs can be eaten safely.

Dr. Lu Hongzhou from the Department of Infectious Diseases at Huashan Hospital pointed out that avian influenza virus has been proven to be able to be transmitted vertically. However, the avian influenza virus can be completely inactivated by high-temperature processing of poultry eggs.

Professor Yu Shunzhang from the School of Public Health at Fudan University said that eggs are completely safe to eat if they are heated and boiled for 5 to 10 minutes.

Professor Yu Shunzhang suggested that from a safety precaution perspective, boiled eggs and raw eggs should be avoided as much as possible, and scrambled eggs and poached eggs should also be cooked thoroughly. When eating eggs, pay attention to the hygiene of the outside of the eggshell. The egg shells may be contaminated, so when processing eggs, clean the egg shells first; when cracking eggs, do not let the egg shells fall in; after processing eggs, clean your hands thoroughly.

After explaining so much, have you all taken note of it? Health is our capital, so everyone should pay more attention to physical and personal hygiene in life, and don’t let diseases easily invade us.