The following are the primary Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), Hong Kong Government, World Health Organization (WHO) and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) communication messages related to Avian Influenza. Please note that these have been extracted from longer and more detailed documents. For more comprehensive information please see those documents; links are provided below.

A. Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) [top]

Avian Flu: 6 Food Safety Precautions:

1. Conventional cooking (temperatures at or above 70°C in all parts of a food item) will inactivate the H5N1 virus. Properly cooked poultry meat is therefore safe to consume.
2. The H5N1 virus, if present in poultry meat, is not killed by refrigeration or freezing.
3. Home slaughtering and preparation of sick or dead poultry for food is hazardous: this practice must be stopped.
4. Eggs can contain H5N1 virus both on the outside (shell) and the inside (whites and yolk). Eggs from areas with H5N1 outbreaks in poultry should not be consumed raw or partially cooked (runny yolk); uncooked eggs should not be used in foods that will not be cooked, baked or heat-treated in other ways.
5. There is no epidemiological evidence to indicate that people have been infected with the H5N1 virus following consumption of properly cooked poultry or eggs.
6. The greatest risk of exposure to the virus is through the handling and slaughter of live infected poultry. Good hygiene practices are essential during slaughter and post-slaughter handling to prevent exposure via raw poultry meat or cross contamination from poultry to other foods, food preparation surfaces or equipment.

See the "6" box on the right hand column on the FAO's Animal Health, Avian Influenza web page - click here.

B. Hong Kong Government - Centre for Health Protection [top]

Health Risks and Prevention of Seasonal Influenza, Avian Influenza, Influenza Pandemic

To prevent avian influenza in humans, we should avoid touching live poultry or their droppings, wash hands thoroughly immediately after contacting live poultry and cook poultry and eggs thoroughly before eating.

Click here to download "Health Risks and Prevention..." from the Hong Kong Government website as a PDF document.

C. World Heath Organization (WHO) - Western Pacific Regional Office [top]

Advice for People Living in Areas Affected by Bird Flu or Avian Influenza: Key Messages and Advice

The spread of bird flu in affected areas can normally be prevented.

• People should avoid contact with chickens, ducks or other poultry unless absolutely necessary. This is the best way to prevent infection with the bird flu virus.
• Children are at high risk because they may play where poultry are found. Teach your children the following basic guidelines:
  • Avoid contact with any birds, their feathers, faeces and other waste.
  • Do not keep birds as pets.
  • Wash hands with soap and water after any contact.
  • Not to sleep near poultry.
• Do not transport live or dead chickens, ducks or other poultry from one place to another even if you think your birds are healthy.
• Handling of poultry in affected areas should be done within the area without transporting them to other areas.
• Do not prepare poultry from affected areas as food for your family or animals. The slaughter and preparation of such birds for food is dangerous.
• If you unintentionally come into contact with poultry in an affected area, such as touching the bird's body, touching its faeces or other animal dirt, or walking on soil contaminated with poultry faeces:
  • wash your hands well with soap and water after each contact;
  • remove your shoes outside the house and clean them of all dirt; and
  • check your temperature for 7 days at least once daily. If you develop a high temperature (>37.5°C), visit a doctor or the nearest health care facility immediately.

Click here to download "Advice for People Living in Areas Affected by Bird Flu or Avian Influenza" from the WHO website as a PDF document.

D. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) [top]

H5N1 Avian influenza - ECDC Key Messages

ECDC guidelines on protective measures for at risk groups:

The guidelines apply only to the at risk groups such as cullers and people in regions affected by H5N1 who work, or live, on poultry farms or who keep poultry. They do not apply to the population at large. Advice to the general public is given in the next section. Protection is based on the application of the following six principles:

1. Control infection in birds
2. Minimise the number of people possibly exposed to the virus - as far as possible separating people from the avian viruses and potentially infected birds and animals
3. Proper use of personal protective equipment for those directly involved in the work with potentially infected animals
4. Proper but controlled limited use of antiviral drugs following a local risk assessment
5. Recommending seasonal influenza vaccination for people involved in culling infected poultry flocks, especially if seasonal influenza is circulating
6. Careful surveillance for infection among those potentially exposed

Precautions for other members of the public:

The level of risk for people who are not in one of the at risk groups is very, very low. The risk becomes almost non-existent if the following precautions are followed:

• If you come across any dead or sick birds, do not touch them.
• Ensure that poultry meat and eggs are thoroughly cooked.

It is highly unlikely that H5N1 can be passed on to humans by raw meat or eggs, but if you cook your food properly this will eliminate the risk entirely. It will also protect you from salmonella and other organisms that cause food poisoning.

Click here to download "H5N1 Avian influenza - ECDC Key Message" from the ECDC website as a PDF document.