From CDC: > Can I become infected with the bird flu by consuming eggs or other > poultry products from infected birds? > > There is no evidence that anyone has been infected with the Asian > bird flu or other bird flu virus by eating properly cooked eggs or > other cooked poultry products derived from infected birds. Cooking > food to 160 degrees Fahrenheit (71 degrees Celsius) will kill bird > flu virus if it is present. Nearly all of the more than 100 human > cases of the Asian bird flu that have been diagnosed recently in > Asia have had direct contact with infected chickens, ducks, turkeys, > their environment. This suggests that close contact with infected > birds has been the primary route of transmission for the Asian bird > flu infections, rather than eating food derived from infected birds. > Although strains of bird flu virus like the Asian bird flu that > cause severe disease in poultry can result in the contamination of > egg shells and the inside of the egg (the yolk and albumen or the > egg white), hens with severe bird flu usually stop laying eggs, so > few contaminated eggs are likely to be marketed. Furthermore, the > U. S. government has taken steps to prevent infected birds or their > products, including their eggs, from entering the U.S. food supply. is only one of the questions answered in http://www.foodsafety.gov/~dms/avfluqa.html and it also contains a lot of links -- Sukie (not a vet) Ferret Health List co-moderator http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/ferrethealth FHL Archives fan http://ferrethealth.org/archive/ replacing http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org International Ferret Congress advisor http://www.ferretcongress.org [Posted in FML issue 5179]