Eggs targeted in bird flu battle
November 29th, 2005
Eggs have become the latest target of the Hong Kong government’s avian flu prevention measures.
Chester Yung
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Eggs have become the latest target of the Hong Kong government’s avian flu prevention measures.
While stressing there is no evidence that raw eggs are a source of infection, Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food York Chow said Monday the government is considering new measures, including legislation, to improve surveillance to help reduce the risk of an avian flu outbreak in Hong Kong.
“The World Organisation for Animal Health suggests every country undertake measures to manage raw eggs,” he said after a seminar on pest control.
“We will follow this advice and consider further regulations, and legislation if necessary.”
One of the main objectives of the organization, also known as the Office International des Epizooties, is to guarantee the safety of food from animal origins. According to the OIE’s latest Terrestrial Animal Health Code, countries importing eggs should require international veterinary certificates as proof of origin from exporting nations.
The SAR has no laws requiring such certificates, but the rising number of avian flu outbreaks in the mainland and elsewhere has raised concerns over potential transmission via eggs.
China has reported three confirmed human cases of H5N1 infection.
The first, a nine-year-old boy in Hunan, made a full recovery. His 12-year-old sister, an unconfirmed case but with similar symptoms, died. Her body was cremated, making further tests impossible. The children were reported to have eaten a sick chicken.
The other confirmed cases, both fatal, involved two women in Anhui province.
A 24-year-old poultry farmer and a 35-year-old farmer both died earlier this month.
“We have to look at the situation … as Hong Kong has no such legislation currently,” Chow said. “We also have to examine the impact if we legislate. We need to ensure the monitoring of food safety is up to required standard. For fresh eggs imported from regions that have had infections, we must require certificates to ensure the eggs are from the disease-free farms.”
Imports of mainland eggs have dropped 30 percent since the outbreak, said wholesalers who have been making up the shortfall from the United States and Germany.
According to a recent report by CLSA Asia Pacific Markets, the mainland produces 25 percent of the world’s poultry and 43 percent of eggs.
“We support the government’s move because it will reduce any confusion over food sources,” wholesaler Wong Leung-wan said.
Meanwhile, some restaurants such as the Cafe de Coral group have stopped serving fried eggs in which the yolks are not fully cooked.
“Although avian flu is not a food- borne disease, raw poultry meat and eggs may be contaminated by bacteria or viruses such as salmonella or avian flu, ” a Food and Environmental Hygiene Department spokeswoman said.
“The mainstay of prevention lies in thorough cooking, which can kill bacteria and viruses in food.”
Source: thestandard.com
Entry Filed under: Nutrition News
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