Can bird flu be transmitted through chicken eggs?
605630
No. No they can't. \nBird flu can only be passed from a chicken to a human (or mammal) by deeply inhaling some bird poo particles. Eating an egg is not going to give you flu. The same goes for eating the actual chicken - as it is you have to cook it above 100 degrees C to make sure it has no samonella, and H5N1 will not survive that sort of heat.\n\nCheck out www.bbc.co.uk then go to the news page and search for bird flu.
150583
In people, bird flu usually begins much like conventional influenza, with fever, cough, sore throat and muscle aches, but bird flu can lead to life-threatening complications.
592668
Keep up to date on bird flu (don't rely on a WIKI!)\n\nSee the World Health Organisation site:\n\nhttp://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/en/\n\nIf you prefer an American site, see the Centers for Disease Control:\n\nhttp://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/index.htm
1119867
Europe set to announce task force on bird flu\nEU - Europe will shortly unveil a task force for coordinating the continent's fight against bird flu, a leading European virologist said at a conference on H5N1 avian influenza.  Reuters - Thursday, June 29, 2006\nEconomic impact of bird flu hinges on panic - experts\nWASHINGTON - The severity of a global economic slowdown caused by a bird flu pandemic, estimated to slash 1 to 12 percent off world output, largely depends on how people and governments react, economists said on Wednesday. Bloomberg - Thursday, June 29, 2006\nSevere Flu Pandemic May Cost Up to $2 Trillion, World Bank Says\nA flu outbreak killing 70 million people worldwide may cause global economic losses of as much as $2 trillion, a World Bank official said. \nA slump in tourism, transportation and retail sales, as well as workplace absenteeism and lower productivity, may cause the world economy to shrink by 3.1 percent, said Milan Brahmbhatt, a lead adviser in the East Asia region, citing a study by the Washington-based World Bank. The study predicted a surge in corporate bankruptcies in companies with a high level of debt to equity, such as airlines.  Reuters - Thursday, June 29, 2006\nSingapore lifts ban on Malaysian poultry imports\nSINGAPORE - Singapore will lift a ban on imports of poultry and poultry products from neighbouring Malaysia after Malaysia declared that it is free from bird flu, officials said on Wednesday. \nAfter a three-month suspension, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) said it will lift the poultry import ban on the northern states of Perak and Selangor with effect from June 30.  The China Post - Wednesday, June 28, 2006\nClosing borders would be last bird flu option, U.S. official says\nUS - Closing U.S. borders would be the last option to combat the spread of bird flu, a senior State Department official said Monday. \nIt is far down the list of remedies because it would be unlikely to decrease the number of cases, would interrupt essential services and disrupt lawful border crossings, said Paula J. Dobriansky, undersecretary of state for democracy and global affairs. Bloomberg - Wednesday, June 28, 2006\nBird Flu Fatalities Almost Triple, Spurring Need for Treatments\nBird flu fatalities have almost tripled this year as the lethal virus spread across Asia, Europe and Africa, prompting calls for increased supplies of medicines to fight the virus and any pandemic it might spawn.  AND - Tuesday, June 27, 2006\nFear of bird flu panics Zambians\nZAMBIA - The mysterious death of wild birds this week has panicked Zambians, fearing the arrival of avian influenza in Zambia long-recognised as vulnerable to the deadly H5N1 virus. \nPoultry Association of Zambia executive director Mathews Ngosa said a delay by the government in confirming whether Zambia had become the seventh African country to suffer an outbreak has "killed our industry as people are now avoiding eating chickens".  People's Daily Online - Tuesday, June 27, 2006\nBangladesh takes emergency program to prevent avian influenza\nBANGLADESH - Bangladeshi government has taken up an emergency program to prevent spreading of avian influenza, widely known as bird flu virus, in Bangladesh, private news agency UNB reported Monday.  Food Production Daily - Monday, June 26, 2006\nScientists issue caution against mass poultry vaccination\nEU - With confirmed cases of human-to-human transmission of the avian influenza virus, scientists are now warning that mass vaccination of domestic poultry may hinder detection of the deadly H5N1 strain of the disease.  The Guardian - Sunday, June 25, 2006\nFirst cases found of avian flu caught from wild \nAZERBAIJAN - Four people have died after catching avian flu from infected swans, in the first confirmed cases of the disease being passed from wild birds, scientists have revealed.  Cidrap - Saturday, June 24, 2006\nH5N1 mutation allegedly showed human transmission in Indonesia\nINDONE
106602
I am afraid that the virus that causes bird flu will mutate and become airborne. That would be like the black plague. However, as of now, there is no need to panic. Even when the disease enters the US, for as long as there is no human to human transfer, just fowl to human, there is no need to panic. Just like any virus, the disease is self-limiting. What we have to do to prevent it is to boost our immune system and keep our bodies healthy
383634
Bird flu affects mainly people who hv direct and close contact with any kind of affected birds. And it is important to know that the virus is damaged at tempreture of 60C, so if u boil an affected bird, then it is safe to eat it!
636068
The bird flu is nothing to panic about right now if you are a smart consumer. The bird flu is still in asia and has not been rapidly spreading in the USA. You will not catch the bird flu is you properly handle and cook all poultry. The only way you can get it is if you go over to asia and handle an infected bird. Other wise you are pretty safe safe! Scientists are working on a vaccine right now so hopfully the bird flu epedimic panic will soon fade away!
227647
Currently to catch bird flu you need to inhale or ingest some bird poo. A microscopic particle of poo containing the virus is all it needs. The reason for the massive cull is to try and prevent more birds from becoming infected, becasue the more birds it is in, the greater the chance of a mammal such as ourselves or pigs of being infected. To mutate into a deadly pandemic, an H5N1 virus has to infect a cell at the same time as a mammalian flu virus has infected the cell. \n\nSo by destroying the birds in massive culling programs, governments are limiting the possibility of this happening.\n\nIt is safe to eat infected meat as long as it is cooked properly (over 70 degrees for 20min)
214514
have a look through the previous answers\n\nhttp://answers.yahoo.com/search/search_result;_ylt=Aqf7JlUil0clu9GQTDiO98EjzKIX?p=avian+flu&cp=1&tp=6Keywords=avian%20flu\n\nthis has come up a few times, the effects of avian influenza are very similar to any flu, high temp, fever, sweating etc.
410500
ok, here's probably more than you ever wanted to know about influenza:\n\nThere are three types of influenza, types A, B, and C.  Type A is capable of causing epidemics and pandemics, type B can cause epidemics, and type C only causes mild illness.  \n\nSo:\nThe influenza virus is an enveloped virus and it takes its envelope covering from our own cells.  On its surface it has two proteins, NA and HA.  This is how the strains are determined using the H and N.  The H protein goes under antigenic shift means that it can drastically change, the N protein undergoes drift meaning subtle changes.\n\nThe major pandemics/epidemics are as follows:\n\n1918--H1N1--Spanish flu killed over 100 million people\n1957--H2N2--Asian flu killed ~70 million in the US\n1968--H3N2--Hong Kong flu killed ~34 thousand in the US\n1997--H5N1--bird (avian) flu showed up in Hong Kong, all chickens were slaughtered.  In 2003 it shows up again in chickens as well as other birds, 2 people died after being infected, millions of birds killed\n1999--H9N2--shows up in Hong Kong, 2 children infected but live, ducks and chickens slaughtered in response\n2003--H7N7--shows up in the Netherlands, was extremely virulent and killed off all poultry--evidence of swine infection observed\n1994--H7N2--shows up in New York in bird markets and spreads to commercial poultry\nH7N3 shows up and is only lethal in chickens and turkeys\n2004--H5N1--avian flu shows up again\n   \n\nSo, on to the pig-bird connection:\nbirds have an alpha 2-3 binding ability for the virus, humans have an alpha 2-6 ability.  Pigs however have both.  So, if the virus goes from a bird (with an alpha 2-3 binding ability) into a pig (with both alpha 2-3 and alpha 2-6) the virus can mutate within the pig to utilize an alpha 2-6 affinity.  Therefore the H5N1 avian flu can go from a bird, to a pig, then on to a human very easilly.  Now you may be thinking how often do pigs and chickens really hang out?  Well, in Asia (where most of the new flu strains originate) pigs are often raised along with chickens for economic reasons.  So therefore, it is entirely possible that the flu virus will mutate sometime in the near future and create a pandemic.  So far it hasn't mutated and has only infected a small number of people in its original form.  The virus takes up residence deep in the human lungs and is not spread yet from human to human.  So until the virus mutates via pigs, there really isn't much danger.  But it's only a matter of time.  I hope that explains things.
914298
How often varies by the breed of the chicken, the type of feed, and other conditions such as weather and whether the bird is molting or not.  The shell of the egg acts as a mammals uterus would, protecting the the contents(baby chick or scrammbled eggs) and housing nutrients.  This is the chickens way of having large numbers of chicks at one time, as eggs that are fertilized do not begin gestation until the proper temperature is maintained on a regular basis.  Chickens will lay eggs over the period of several weeks before sitting on them to produce the correct thermo-environment.  Not all eggs are fertilized because just like humans, a sperm donor is needed.  A chicken may "be with" a rooster only once, yet produce fertilized eggs for several days.  Molting is a period when the chicken is going through physical changes, during this time no eggs are produced.  A sign of molting is loss of feathers and bad mood swings!  Molting occurs about once a year in mature birds.  Sometimes eggs used for human consumption are fertilized unintentionally.  These eggs have a red dot in the white of the egg.  This is the reason most cooks crack eggs into a separate bowl before adding them to their recipes.  The red dot would have turn into a chick had the egg not been cooled by refridgeration.  sometimes eggs are not produced because the diet is lacking certain nutrients, usually feeding the chickens the used egg shells from the kitchen will help to cure this deficiency and the bird will begin to produce eggs.  Chickens are an inexpencive yet interesting animal that can be lots of fun raising with children.  Also, their are minature chickens and chickens that have different colored eggs known as easter egg chickens(anaconas, i think) Its been a while since i raised chickens but it was quite an experience, hope this helps!
96334
Not a lot other than the obvious methods, since influenza is highly contagious.\n1) Don't touch your eyeballs (easy to infect yourself that way)\n2) Wash hands\n3) Stay away from children\n4) Reduce your daily contact with people\n5) Don't eat in restaurants (see above)\n6) Get a flu shot (all flu sucks, and regular flu can kill you too, not just bird flu)
91436
Our service is not involved with raising chickens or poultry, so they will be fine.  So far, the avian flu is only contracted from direct contact with infected/sick birds.  It has not mutated to a form that is direct human to human transmission.
75974
Avian influenza is an infection caused by avian (bird) influenza (flu) viruses. These influenza viruses occur naturally among birds. Wild birds worldwide carry the viruses in their intestines, but usually do not get sick from them. However, avian influenza is very contagious among birds and can make some domesticated birds, including chickens, ducks, and turkeys, very sick and kill them.\n\nInfected birds shed influenza virus in their saliva, nasal secretions, and feces. Susceptible birds become infected when they have contact with contaminated secretions or excretions or with surfaces that are contaminated with secretions or excretions from infected birds. Domesticated birds may become infected with avian influenza virus through direct contact with infected waterfowl or other infected poultry, or through contact with surfaces (such as dirt or cages) or materials (such as water or feed) that have been contaminated with the virus.\n\nInfection with avian influenza viruses in domestic poultry causes two main forms of disease that are distinguished by low and high extremes of virulence. The “low pathogenic” form may go undetected and usually causes only mild symptoms (such as ruffled feathers and a drop in egg production). However, the highly pathogenic form spreads more rapidly through flocks of poultry. This form may cause disease that affects multiple internal organs and has a mortality rate that can reach 90-100% often within 48 hours.\nHuman infection with avian influenza viruses\n\nThere are many different subtypes of type A influenza viruses. These subtypes differ because of changes in certain proteins on the surface of the influenza A virus (hemagglutinin [HA] and neuraminidase [NA] proteins). There are 16 known HA subtypes and 9 known NA subtypes of influenza A viruses. Many different combinations of HA and NA proteins are possible. Each combination represents a different subtype. All known subtypes of influenza A viruses can be found in birds.\n\nUsually, “avian influenza virus” refers to influenza A viruses found chiefly in birds, but infections with these viruses can occur in humans. The risk from avian influenza is generally low to most people, because the viruses do not usually infect humans. However, confirmed cases of human infection from several subtypes of avian influenza infection have been reported since 1997. Most cases of avian influenza infection in humans have resulted from contact with infected poultry (e.g., domesticated chicken, ducks, and turkeys) or surfaces contaminated with secretion/excretions from infected birds. The spread of avian influenza viruses from one ill person to another has been reported very rarely, and transmission has not been observed to continue beyond one person.\n\n“Human influenza virus” usually refers to those subtypes that spread widely among humans. There are only three known A subtypes of influenza viruses (H1N1, H1N2, and H3N2) currently circulating among humans. It is likely that some genetic parts of current human influenza A viruses came from birds originally. Influenza A viruses are constantly changing, and they might adapt over time to infect and spread among humans.\n\nDuring an outbreak of avian influenza among poultry, there is a possible risk to people who have contact with infected birds or surfaces that have been contaminated with secretions or excretions from infected birds.\n\nSymptoms of avian influenza in humans have ranged from typical human influenza-like symptoms (e.g., fever, cough, sore throat, and muscle aches) to eye infections, pneumonia, severe respiratory diseases (such as acute respiratory distress), and other severe and life-threatening complications. The symptoms of avian influenza may depend on which virus caused the infection.
473070
chicken pox and influenza (both respiratory infections).  however, i wouldn't say they spread "by air" but rather by aerosols coughed up by an infected person.
720706
(m)\n\nThe symptoms of bird flu (Avian influenza) are\nSore throat\nCough\nFever\nPneumonia\nRespiratory distress\nRespiratory failure\nLife threatening complications\nThe symptoms of bird flu can depend on which virus caused the infection. If you have flu like symptoms the chances of you having Bird flu are very very very very small. Bird flu is a virus that primarily affects birds. Humans have caught the disease but only in a few very rare cases in the Far East and in Turkey. All people who have caught bird flu had close contact with infected birds.
53854
When you carefully analyze the risk of contracting salmonella from raw eggs, you will find that it is actually quite low. A study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture earlier this year showed that of the 69 billion eggs produced annually, only 2.3 million of them are contaminated with salmonella. So simple math suggests that only 0.003 percent of eggs are infected. The translation is that only one in every 30,000 eggs is contaminated with salmonella. Salmonella infections are usually present only in traditionally raised commercial hens. If you are purchasing your eggs from healthy chickens this infection risk reduces dramatically. Remember, only sick chickens lay salmonella-contaminated eggs. If you are obtaining high quality, cage-free, organically fed, omega-3 enhanced chicken eggs, the risk virtually disappears.\nGuidelines To Ensure That You Are Consuming Fresh High- Quality Eggs\n\nYou can go to the American Egg board for a great overview of eggs. \n\nAlways check the freshness of the egg right before you consume the yolk. \n\nIf you are uncertain about the freshness of an egg, don't eat it. This is one of the best safeguards against salmonella infection. \n\nIf there is a crack in the shell, don't eat it. You can easily check for this by immersing the egg in a pan of cool, salted water. If the egg emits a tiny stream of bubbles, don't consume it as the shell is porous/contains a hole.\n\nIf you are getting your eggs fresh from a farmer it is best to not refrigerate them. This is the way most of the world stores their eggs; they do not refrigerate them. To properly judge the freshness of an egg, its contents need to be at room temperature. Eggs that are stored in the fridge and opened immediately after taking them out will seem fresher than they actually are. Eggs that you want to check the freshness of should be kept outside the fridge for at least an hour prior to opening them.\n\nFirst, check all the eggs by rolling them across a flat surface. Only consume them if they roll wobbly.\n\nOpen the egg. If the egg white is watery instead of gel-like, don't consume the egg. If the egg yolk is not convex and firm, don't consume the egg. If the egg yolk easily bursts, don't consume the egg.\n\nAfter opening the egg you can put it up to your nose and smell it. If it smells foul you will certainly not want to consume it.