drh. M.Th. Khrisdiana Putri, MP, PhD, a veterinarian from Gadjah Mada University (UGM) appealed to the public not to be afraid of consuming poultry meat, such as chicken, and its derivative products, such as eggs, in the midst of being wary of bird flu cases in Indonesia.
“Even though Avian influenza is called a zoonotic, it is not a food-borne disease, so it is not a food-borne disease,” Khrisdiana said when contacted by Antara, Thursday (2/3/2023).
Transmission of the avian influenza or bird flu virus can be through faeces or feces and nasal secretions of sick birds. Even so, according to Krisdiana, until now it is still being debated whether direct contact with feces and fluids can cause humans to be directly infected.
Even though the bird flu virus is not categorized as a foodborne disease or a disease that is transmitted through food, Khrisdiana still urges the public to process poultry meat with good cooking and not to eat it undercooked. The best way, according to him, is to choose healthy poultry for consumption.
“When we cook meat well, handling properly, so especially when cooked, yes, it must be thoroughly cooked, conveyed that there is no danger that can accompany it,” he said.
“The only problem is at the moment when we handling live chickens, before slaughter until when we cook them,” added Khrisdiana.
For egg products, Khrisdiana also reminded people to wash them first to remove any remaining faeces that might stick to the egg shells.
The public also doesn’t need to worry about consuming poultry meat and eggs because, according to Khrisdiana, breeders in Indonesia are generally good at monitoring their products and will not market sick animal products for human consumption.
What’s more, breeders already have experience after the outbreak of bird flu in 2003, so they are used to taking preventive measures. If you find a sick animal, usually the farmer will immediately isolate the animal and the product from the sick animal will not be removed.
“So this is what I feel is our guarantee as a society that what is circulating in this market comes from healthy animals. So, don’t be afraid to eat chicken and eggs too,” said Khrisdiana. (ant/dfn/ipg)
