Bird Flu Scare: Don’t Consume Half-Cooked Chicken, Half-Boiled Or Half-Fried Eggs | Check Delhi Govt Advisory Here

The advisory came amid Delhi civic bodies banning the shops in the national capital from storing or selling poultry products and restaurants from serving egg or poultry-based dishes

Delhi Bird Flu scare: Amid the bird flu outbreak across 10 states in the country, the Delhi government on Wednesday shared an advisory asking residents not to panic and released a set of instructions to be followed. Several ducks at Sanjay Lake and a large number of crows across various city parks have been found dead in the last one week. 

The advisory issued by the directorate general of health services (DGHS) of Delhi stated, “H5N8 is highly pathogenic in birds but the pathogenicity in humans, as well as the likelihood of human infection with avian influenza (AH5N8) virus, is low.”The advisory issued by the directorate general of health services (DGHS) of Delhi on Wednesday stated, “H5N8 is highly pathogenic in birds but the pathogenicity in humans, as well as the likelihood of human infection with avian influenza (AH5N8) virus, is low.”

What are the do's and dont's?

Delhi residents have been asked not to consume half-cooked chicken, half-boiled or half-fried eggs. "Eat only completely cooked eggs and poultry products cooked at 70 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes. Do not consume half-cooked chicken or bird or half-boiled and half-fried eggs," the advisory said.

Also avoid contact and prevent exposure from sick-looking sluggish chicken. Avoid direct contact with bird secretions and droppings, as per the directives. Also ensure that bowls used for feeding birds, and their cages should be washed properly with soap or detergent.

All slaughter waste must be disposed of properly, noted the advisory.

Avoid touching dead birds with bare hands. If any bird is found dead, control room should be informed at phone number 23890318.

Do not keep raw poultry meat near cooked meat. Wash hands frequently at the time of handling raw poultry products. Take due care of personal hygiene and maintain cleanliness in surrounding, it cautioned.

Reports of over 50 bird deaths were received on a helpline of the Delhi government’s animal husbandry unit, and 18 samples from different parts of the city were sent for avian flu testing on Tuesday, officials had said.

Testing of samples of crows and ducks had confirmed bird flu cases in the national capital on Monday, prompting the city government to impose a ban on the sale of processed and packaged chicken brought from outside the city. The Ghazipur poultry market has also been closed by authorities.

On the other hand all three Delhi civic bodies -North, South and East banned the shops in the national capital from storing or selling poultry products and restaurants from serving egg or poultry-based dishes on Wednesday, according to the Times of India report. The order was issued by the veterinary services department of the NDMC. It stated that owners of restaurants and hotels will face action if found serving egg-based dishes or poultry meat and other products to customers. The directions have been issued in the public interest and should be diligently complied with, it said.