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Avian influenza (AI), also referred to as bird flu, is a virus that infects all types of avian species, including wild birds and domestic poultry. AI is an animal health issue that causes mild to severe symptoms in birds and, in its most extreme form, can be fatal to infected birds.
There are two types of AI, high pathogenicity (HPAI) and low pathogenicity (LPAI). LPAI is common in many areas of the world, may cause mild symptoms in birds and poultry, and is of no risk to human health. HPAI is more serious and causes severe illness in birds and poultry. In egg-laying hens, symptoms include respiratory problems, decreased food intake and slowed or stopped egg production.
In addition to pathogenicity (HP and LP), AI is also classified by the proteins on the surface of the virus particle. These proteins are hemagglutinin (H proteins) and neuraminidase (N proteins). There are 16 H proteins and 9 N proteins, so 144 different combinations are possible. Only two H proteins, H5 and H7, have been found to be highly pathogenic. All other H proteins are only found in LPAI and cause mild bird illness. The virus strain that is currently causing the most problems worldwide is H5N1. This strain is commonly found in Asia and has caused illness in millions of birds and in hundreds of people who have been in very close contact with sick birds.
The U.S. egg industry has had years of experience in dealing with and preventing AI in commercial poultry flocks and works closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in these efforts. During regular tests in domestic flocks, it’s not unusual to occasionally find LPAI, the mild form of AI which does not pose a threat to human health. Outbreaks of HPAI are rare. As of June 2007, there have been only three outbreaks of HPAI in the U.S. in the last 100 years. All three outbreaks were quickly eradicated and no human illnesses occurred.
The egg industry, local animal-health officials and the federal government all work together to preserve animal health and protect community health. USDA and the egg industry are well equipped to identify AI outbreaks quickly and to eradicate them immediately. There are many levels of protection built into commercial egg production. Most importantly, veterinarians monitor flock health daily and quickly identify any problems. The combination of daily monitoring with a nationwide, routine AI testing program is very effective at detecting illness.
In the case of a future outbreak, USDA and the egg industry will cooperatively quarantine the affected flock and surrounding area, eradicate the disease, monitor the surrounding region, disinfect the premises and test to make sure the farm/s are free from AI virus. Under current regulations, eggs from an HPAI-positive flock will be destroyed immediately.
Another level of protection is that proper cooking easily destroys all AI virus particles. In the very rare chance that you were to encounter an egg from a hen with AI, you wouldn’t get AI through eating thoroughly cooked eggs. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization all agree that properly cooked eggs are safe to eat. Cook basic egg recipes until the yolk and white are firm and cook or bake any dishes containing eggs until they reach 160º F. |
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