Israeli and Jordanian experts meet next week for a combined effort to contain avian flu infecting the two neighbors
Friday, Jordan confirmed H5N1 strain was detected on a farm in the Aijloun governate 40 kilometers north of Amman. Culling has begun and poultry flocks along the Jordanian-Israel border are being vaccinated. The Hashemite kingdom of Jordan has 2,500 poultry farms with 6 million birds. H5N1 has been confirmed in Israel`s Jordan Valley Moshav Bekaot, the seventh affected farm. A Galilee village has been tested and cleared of bird flu. Israel has completed cull of 1,200,000 fowls, mostly in the south.
The Health Ministry in Jerusalem announced strict instructions for cooking chicken and eggs:
Hard-boiled eggs: Boil in water for at least 10 minutes.
Soft-boiled eggs: Forbidden to eat.
Omelets: Fry each side for at least five minutes.
Chicken: Cook for an extended period of time until the meat reaches 70 degrees Celsius (Boiling point for water is 100 degrees.)
debkafile brings World Health Organization instructions as follows:
The H5N1 virus is sensitive to heat. Normal temperatures used for cooking (70oC in all parts of the food) will kill the virus. Consumers need to be sure that all parts of the poultry are fully cooked (no “pink” parts) and that eggs, too, are properly cooked (no “runny” yolks).
Consumers should also be aware of the risk of cross-contamination. Juices from raw poultry and poultry products should never be allowed, during food preparation, to touch or mix with items eaten raw. When handling raw poultry or raw poultry products, persons involved in food preparation should wash their hands thoroughly and clean and disinfect surfaces in contact with the poultry products Soap and hot water are sufficient for this purpose.
In areas experiencing outbreaks in poultry, raw eggs should not be used in foods that will not be further heat-treated as, for example by cooking or baking.
Avian influenza is not transmitted through cooked food. To date, no evidence indicates that anyone has become infected following the consumption of properly cooked poultry or poultry products, even when these foods were contaminated with the H5N1 virus.