Questions and Answers on Avian Influenza and
Risk to FDA Regulated Shell Eggs and Egg Products

1. What is Avian Influenza (AI)?
   Avian influenza ("Bird Flu") is caused by a Type 'A' influenza virus. There are many strains of Type 'A' influenza viruses that can infect several species of animals including birds, pigs, ferrets, horses, seals, whales, and humans. Wild birds are considered the natural hosts for influenza 'A' viruses and carry all known subtypes of these viruses. The influenza viruses that infect birds are called "Avian influenza (AI) viruses."

2. What is highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI)?
   Many strains of AI virus can cause varying degrees of disease in domestic poultry. AI usually does not make wild birds sick, but can cause serious illness and death in poultry. HPAI is a fatal form of avian influenza that can spread rapidly in flocks causing high mortalities.

3. What is the difference between HPAI and low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI)?
   AI viruses can be classified into low pathogenic (LPAI) or highly pathogenic (HPAI) forms based on their virulence or severity of disease they cause in domestic poultry. Most strains are LPAI, and typically cause little or no clinical illness in infected birds. The LPAI strains in domestic poultry have not been shown to be a health risk to humans.

4. Can people become infected with AI?
   Although avian influenza viruses rarely infect people, there have been documented cases of severe, even fatal, disease in humans infected with HPAI since 1997. These include: Hong Kong, 1997 (H5N1); Hong Kong, 2003 (H5N1); and The Netherlands, 2003 (H7N7). Since December 2003, human illnesses and deaths associated with an HPAI (H5N1) outbreak in domestic poultry have been reported in several countries in Asia. In February 2004, outbreaks of HPAI (H5N2) occurred in poultry flocks in Texas (H5N2), and in British Columbia, Canada (H7N3), but the only known human illnesses have been conjunctivitis (reddened, painful membranes around the eyes) in people who handled sick birds and then touched their eyes. The CDC and USDA have developed interim guidance for the protection of persons traveling abroad in HPAI infected countries and for those involved in activities to control and eradicate outbreaks of avian influenza among domestic poultry in the United States. Detailed information is available at http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/protectionguid.htm.

5. What are the signs of AI in birds?
   Wild birds, especially migratory waterfowl (geese, ducks) generally do not become ill as a result of infection with AI. Domestic poultry (chickens, turkeys) are very susceptible to HPAI and may die suddenly without any clinical signs or may show decreased egg production, soft-shelled or misshapen eggs, swelling and purple discoloration of the head, eyelids, comb, wattles, and hocks (ankle joints), coughing, sneezing, nasal discharge, diarrhea, and lack of coordination.

6. What are the symptoms of HPAI in people?
   Symptoms can range from conjunctivitis without systemic signs of illness, to typical flu-like symptoms of cough, fever, sore throat, muscle aches, to severe pneumonia, acute respiratory distress and occasional death.

7. What countries have been affected by the recent HPAI (H5N1) outbreak?
   People's Republic of China, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Thailand, Viet Nam, Laos, South Korea, Japan, and Indonesia. There has been a recent outbreak of HPAI (H5N2) on a poultry farm in Texas but this viral strain is not related to the outbreaks in Asia.

8. Are poultry products and eggs still being imported into the U.S. from countries with the HPAI?
   No. The USDA and DHHS have temporarily banned importation of birds and bird products from the countries affected by the HPAI virus.

9. Are there any human health risks from AI associated with poultry products and eggs?
   There has been no evidence that the LPAI virus is a public health risk. LPAI is not transmitted from hen to the internal contents of the egg, but HPAI virus has been reported isolated from the yolk and albumen. The World Health Organization (WHO) and other public health organizations have suggested that shell eggs from HPAI infected poultry could be contaminated with virus, therefore, care should be taken in handling those shell eggs and raw egg products. Shell eggs should be properly washed and sanitized in standard egg collection practices before packing and entering commerce. Additionally, studies have shown that the AI virus is destroyed at temperatures required for pasteurization and cooking of eggs. Thus, even when the virus is transmitted from the bird to its egg, the virus should not survive the cooking process. In general, using good hygiene practices in handling raw poultry foods and following recommended cooking practices for poultry products (shell eggs included) should result in minimized risk from poultry related infections, including salmonella.

10. What can I do to ensure that poultry products are safe to eat?
    All poultry and poultry products (including eggs) should be cooked thoroughly before eating. Poultry meat should be cooked throughout to a temperature of 180 degrees Farenheit. Eggs should be cooked thoroughly until both the yolk and the white are firm. Scrambled eggs should not be runny. Casseroles and other dishes containing eggs should be cooked to 160 degrees Farenheit and checked with a food thermometer to be sure. For more information on handling eggs visit the FDA Food Safety website: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/fs-toc.html#eggs.

11. Where can I obtain more information?
    More detailed information on avian influenza disease control strategies in poultry farms and in poultry products may be found on the USDA website at http://www.aphis.usda.gov.

    Information on human health and food safety regarding AI may be found on the CDC, WHO, and FAO/OIE websites at: www.cdc.gov/flu, http://www.who.int/foodsafety/micro/avian/en/print.html and http://www.oie.int/downld/AVIAN%20INFLUENZA/avian_rome_feb04_report.pdf