November 22, 2004

Test Shows Cooked Poultry Meat Safe from Bird Flu

A scientific experiment has confirmed authorities' assurance that cooked fowl meat and eggs are safe from the bird flu virus.

Assoc. Prof. Thawisak Songserm, an expert veterinarian of Kasetsart University's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine conducted the experiment, with funding from the Thailand Research Fund.

In the study, an amount of the avian flu virus enough to kill a chicken foetus within 24 hours was injected into raw eggs, chicken and duck meat.

The egg and meat were later cooked in a normal way.

Tests showed that the cooked items had no traces of the bird flu virus left, according to Assoc. Prof. Thawisak.

The experiment also found that the virus died after half an hour in sunlight and three days when indoors, he said, adding that the study was in line with international standards.

He urged consumers not to be too worried about the bird flu.