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Eating chicken contaminated with Bird Flu
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Experts say that chicken meat is not the causative agent of the bird flu virus. The virus exists in the intestinal tract of the sick bird. Those who have direct contact with sick birds, for example, poultry factory workers, are in the high-risk group. Nonetheless, WHO recommends cooking chicken meat at no less than 70°C.
In other words, if it undergoes a thorough thermal treatment. There were speculations that the virus dies at 60°?. This is not true. Chicken meat must be boiled: a young chicken must be boiled for at least half an hour, and an older chicken—for an hour. Eggs must be boiled hard because virus is contained both in the white of the egg, and in the yolk – so no fried or soft-boiled eggs.
In carcasses frozen at -20°? the flu virus maintains its pathogenicity for 447 days. So there is a chance that somebody right now has an infected carcass in his fridge and who knows where it will go afterwards.
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