Raw Eggs Safe To Eat?

[msg362]

Perhaps i was not clear enough, a bird can be contaminated with the H5N1 virus, when you touch the bird you can be contaminated by inhale the virus, not by eating it.

but if your hands are contaminated from the bird poo there is a serious risk that you will transfer it to your mouth. The airborne route is the most obvious,and inhalation of dried faeces particles is possible, but hand to mouth contamination exists to, do not dismiss it

I do not dismiss anything. Hand to mouth contamination has only to do with inhaling. You cannot get H5N1 by eating. There is so much panic about this but the people who died from this disease had very intensive contact with birds. One people cannot even contaminate another.

Not suggesting you get it from eating, but how do you know for sure? but by transfer to your nose!/ onto a handkerchief

moral, don't pick your nose after handling chickens

Apologies, I should have said more in the first post, mouth/ nose handkerchief, I agree, ingestion is not the normal route of infection for human 'flu, but since it appears in chickens in the gut in chicken 'flu how do we know that it can't infect that way in humans. No studies yet?

Edited February 5, 2011 by msg362

[Joop50]

The most readable but elaborate information is on wikipedia. Birds are carriers of many influenza viruses. The problem with this virus is that people have not build immunity against it. There is a scenario that predicts that in the future people will infect people. This is also based of one case in Indonesia that someone contiminate someone else but it was isolated. The biggest danger however is that an influenza virus can mutate. So far in South East Asia 65 people died from this virus. (as far as known) The cause of death is always pneumonia or respirator failure. The victims are young or old wich means weaker people. The victims rate of a normal flu is much much higher because of course much more people get infected. So, again, do not worry. The worst case scenario is based on what might happen in the future. As far es known there is no H5N1 break out now. Eat your egg (even raw) and enjoy it.

Edited February 5, 2011 by Joop50