Yes, low-pathogenic strains of avian influenza or "bird flu" have been found in poultry flocks in Maryland, Delaware, and other states. However, the highly pathogenic "bird flu" strain known as H5N1, which was isolated in Indonesia, has not been found in the United States.
Of the people throughout the world who have been diagnosed as infected with the H5N1 strain, more than half have died. All contracted the virus from direct contact with infected birds, not from the food supply. In the United States, birds infected with avian influenza are killed to prevent the spread of the disease before they became part of the food supply. Additionally, experts say that the virus cannot survive in poultry that has been cooked to 165 degrees.
Comments
Subscribe to this page's comments
Post a comment about this topic