News

Are eggs safe to eat? Australia’s bird flu outbreak, explained

20 July, 2024 . 0

The bird flu outbreak in Australia has contributed to a shortage of eggs across the country. What does avian influenza mean – and are chicken and eggs safe to eat?

Many people are in a panic to stock up on eggs, which are quickly disappearing from supermarket shelves due to outbreaks of avian influenza in Victoria, NSW and the ACT.

With 11 Australian poultry farms infected, is it safe to eat local chicken and eggs? And how is avian flu spread and who is at risk?

Can humans catch the bird flu?

In short, yes humans can catch avian influenza – but it is rare. Recently one human case was detected in Victoria after a child – who made a full recovery – returned from holiday overseas.

What are the symptoms of bird flu in humans?

Human symptoms of the avian influenza are similar to a severe flu:

Fever
Cough
Tiredness
Muscle aches
Sore throat
Shortness of breath
Conjunctivitis
Headaches

In more severe cases people can become susceptible to:

Encephalitis (inflammation of the brain)
Pneumonia
Neurological changes (seizures/convulsions)

What strain of bird flu is causing Australia’s current outbreaks?

Avian influenza expert Dr Frank Wong says while there are three separate strains involved in Australia, they are all H7 strains of the virus.

“The bird flu strain causing havoc overseas is known as highly pathogenic H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b. It emerged sometime in 2020 and has spread to every continent except Australia, affecting millions of wild birds and domestic poultry,’’ says Dr Wong, a senior research scientist at CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness.

Is it safe to eat chicken and eggs?

Deakin University Associate Professor and epidemiologist Hassan Vally says: “It is perfectly safe to eat chicken and eggs.

“Even if your chicken and eggs come from an area where there is an outbreak of avian influenza, cooking kills the virus.”

Dr Vally says it is not possible to catch the virus as long as food is cooked properly and thoroughly.

As a result, there are no specific foods the public should avoid or stop purchasing to prevent infection.

The Department of Health recommends the following to stay safe and prevent infection:

Wash your hands thoroughly after handling birds and uncooked poultry products such as meat or eggs.
Ensure that poultry and poultry products are cooked thoroughly before eating.
Avoid contact with wild or domesticated birds.
Avoid poultry farms and live bird “wet” markets.

What about milk and dairy products?

Recently in the United States, fragments of avian flu were discovered in raw milk. But it doesn’t mean you should panic about consuming dairy products.

A new study by the American Food and Drug administration and US Department of Agriculture, discovered that the pasteurisation of raw milk (even with high levels of bird flu in the sample) killed the H5N1 strain of the virus. This is not the strain that has infected Australian flocks.

“Pasteurisation, using high heat to kill harmful microbes in food, effectively eliminates avian influenza as well as other dangerous pathogens that may be present in these products,’’ Dr Vally says.

Why are there egg shortages?

Supermarkets and even giant fast food chain McDonald’s have been impacted by the outbreaks.

With two million birds culled to date, there are supply shortages that have disrupted the food industry.

“Australia has responded quickly and strongly to the outbreaks on farms,” Dr Vally says.

“This response has unfortunately required the euthanasia of all birds on a farm where avian influenza has been detected.”

Coles has a two-carton cap on egg purchases across Australia, excluding Western Australia. And Woolworths recently imposed a two-pack limit in NSW, the ACT and Victoria.

McDonald’s also recently reduced the hours in which its breakfast menu is offered – stopping at 10.30am rather than noon.

Dr Vally describes the shortage as a “short-term reduction in the availability of eggs” and not a permanent consequence of the outbreak.

Can pets and other birds catch the virus?

Cats, dogs, birds and other animals are all susceptible to the virus if they come into contact or eat an infected bird.

Symptoms of the virus in cats and dogs include:

Fever
Loss of appetite
Difficulty breathing
Conjunctivitis
Seizures
Tremors

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, it is extremely rare for humans to catch the bird flu from pets.

How can I protect myself from the bird flu?

Currently, there are no vaccines to prevent bird flu infection and the seasonal flu vaccine does not prevent avian influenza.

However, experts recommend staying up to date with ordinary flu immunisations to help prevent “virus mixing”, which can occur when someone is infected with more than one virus.

Virus mixing has the potential to create a new mutated virus that could pose a much higher threat to the community.

“The concern lies with the influenza virus,” infection control practitioner Erica Susky says.

“It is excellent at mutating and recombining. If there are repeated contacts between species the chances increase of this strain adapting to spread in humans.”

For this reason, poultry workers are highly encouraged to stay up to date with the annual flu vaccine.

More on health and viruses:

Written by Josephine Quattrocchi.